boys' name ★ peaked 1922

Amos

Meaning to carry; a burden Gender Boy Rank 2025 #730 Trend → Stable

From Biblical Hebrew עמוס (Amos, “to carry; a burden”).

Rank 2025
#730
among boys · ↓43 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
364
named Amos · -8% vs 2024
How common
1 in 4,693
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1922
558 babies
All-time total
36,600
#598 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Amos popularity over time

36,600 babies have been named Amos since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.380.751.131.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 1,161 1,161 116 – #105
1890s – 1,023 1,023 102 -12% #127
1900s – 1,062 1,062 106 +4% #166
1910s – 3,674 3,674 367 +246% #182
1920s 32 4,891 4,923 492 +34% #237
1930s 5 3,343 3,348 335 -32% #261
1940s 5 2,767 2,772 277 -17% #341
1950s 16 2,810 2,826 283 +2% #393
1960s 6 2,086 2,092 209 -26% #490
1970s – 2,155 2,155 216 +3% #495
1980s – 2,321 2,321 232 +8% #511
1990s – 1,749 1,749 175 -25% #709
2000s – 1,788 1,788 179 +2% #907
2010s – 3,243 3,243 324 +81% #647
2020s (to 2025) – 2,463 2,463 411 +27% #599

Where Amos is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 366 0.21 outside top 500
2027 367 0.22 outside top 500
2028 369 0.22 outside top 500
2029 370 0.22 outside top 500
2030 371 0.22 outside top 500

Where Amos is most popular

Boys named Amos per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.243 per 1,000. Strongest in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Missouri.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Amos born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Kentucky 79 0.787 +224%
Pennsylvania 205 0.772 +218%
Missouri 98 0.707 +191%
Indiana 103 0.642 +165%
Iowa 37 0.537 +121%
Wisconsin 62 0.523 +116%
Kansas 31 0.452 +86%
North Dakota 7 0.410 +69%
Washington 65 0.397 +64%
Mississippi 21 0.370 +52%
Arkansas 23 0.363 +50%
Alabama 39 0.357 +47%
Tennessee 63 0.349 +44%
Oregon 26 0.343 +41%
West Virginia 11 0.337 +39%
Minnesota 40 0.326 +34%
Virginia 59 0.311 +28%
Colorado 39 0.302 +24%
Michigan 60 0.293 +21%
Montana 5 0.284 +17%
South Dakota 5 0.269 +11%
North Carolina 68 0.266 +10%
Maryland 30 0.252 ≈ national
Ohio 62 0.234 ≈ national
Arizona 37 0.226 -7%
Georgia 56 0.221 -9%
Oklahoma 19 0.215 -12%
Idaho 8 0.195 -19%
Illinois 49 0.192 -21%
Utah 17 0.178 -27%
New York 76 0.176 -28%
Texas 141 0.160 -34%
Massachusetts 20 0.145 -40%
Florida 68 0.144 -41%
Louisiana 13 0.127 -48%
South Carolina 13 0.126 -48%
California 110 0.120 -50%
Nebraska 5 0.115 -53%
New Jersey 5 0.025 -90%
Alaska – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Maine – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Amos

Amos is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #730 in 2025 with 364 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 36,600 American babies have been named Amos. Its peak came in 1922, when 558 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Amos stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Amos?

The median living Amos is about 38 years old; half are between 12 and 62. An estimated 19 thousand people named Amos are alive in the United States today.

median 38 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Amos year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 364 #730
2024 – – 395 #687
2023 – – 424 #647
2022 – – 450 #620
2021 – – 464 #599
2020 – – 366 #696
2019 – – 394 #667
2018 – – 396 #647
2017 – – 356 #693
2016 – – 385 #669
2015 – – 340 #726
2014 – – 367 #686
2013 – – 296 #762
2012 – – 281 #800
2011 – – 247 #859
2010 – – 181 #1,059
2009 – – 199 #991
2008 – – 181 #1,048
2007 – – 208 #949
2006 – – 160 #1,097
2005 – – 174 #991
2004 – – 175 #957
2003 – – 177 #926
2002 – – 172 #930
2001 – – 171 #912
2000 – – 171 #907
1995 – – 166 #833
1990 – – 203 #712
1985 – – 232 #577
1980 – – 262 #531
1975 – – 204 #565
1970 – – 148 #673
1965 – – 224 #508
1960 – – 261 #490
1955 5 #5,854 287 #433
1950 – – 287 #401
1945 – – 262 #371
1940 5 #4,381 278 #341
1935 – – 301 #313
1930 – – 461 #261
1925 – – 489 #258
1920 5 #5,005 493 #246
1915 – – 474 #219
1910 – – 124 #208
1905 – – 102 #182
1900 – – 125 #168
1895 – – 96 #162
1890 – – 114 #127
1885 – – 114 #121
1880 – – 128 #105

Famous people named Amos

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Amos Amos Hebrew prophet -800–-745 · Antiquity
  2. 2 Amos Tversky Amos Tversky Israeli psychologist (1937–1996) Contemporary
  3. 3 Amos Bronson Alcott Amos Bronson Alcott American educator (1799–1888) 18th century
  4. 4 Amos Lee Amos Lee American singer-songwriter (born 1977) Contemporary
  5. 5 Amos Oz Amos Oz Israeli writer, journalist and intellectual (1939–2018) Contemporary
  6. 6 Amos Tutuola Amos Tutuola Nigerian writer (1920–1997) Contemporary
  7. 7 Amos Gitai Amos Gitai Israeli film director and screenwriter b. 1950 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Amos Mansdorf Amos Mansdorf Israeli tennis player (born 1965) Contemporary
  9. 9 Amos Eaton Amos Eaton American botanist, geologist and educator 1776–1842 · 18th century
  10. 10 Amos Burn Amos Burn English chess player (1848–1925) 19th century
  11. 11 Amos Biwott Amos Biwott Kenyan athlete (born 1947) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Amos, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Amos?

The median living Amos is about 38 years old. Half of all living Amoss are between 12 and 62 years old.

How many people named Amos are alive today?

An estimated 19 thousand people named Amos are alive in the United States, based on 36,600 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Amos mean?

From Biblical Hebrew עמוס (Amos, “to carry; a burden”).

How popular is the name Amos in 2025?

Amos ranked #730 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 364 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Amos?

36,600 babies have been named Amos in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Amos most popular?

Amos peaked in 1922, when 558 newborns received the name.

Is Amos a boy or girl name?

Amos is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Amos rising or falling?

Amos is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Amos become more popular?

Amos looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 371 boys named Amos in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Amos?

Well-known people named Amos include Amos (religious figure), Amos Tversky (psychologist), Amos Bronson Alcott (philosopher).

Names like Amos

Names that sound and feel close to Amos: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Amos with similar names → More names starting with A →