boys' name ★ peaked 1964

Byron

Meaning at the byre or cattleshed Gender Boy Rank 2025 #981 Trend ↓ Falling 14%

A habitational surname from Old English byrum (“at the byre or cattleshed”).

Rank 2025
#981
among boys · ↓103 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
233
named Byron · -15% vs 2024
How common
1 in 7,331
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1964
1,289 babies
All-time total
82,541
#359 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Byron popularity over time

82,541 babies have been named Byron 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
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 498 498 50 – #194
1890s – 547 547 55 +10% #210
1900s – 616 616 62 +13% #234
1910s 7 3,518 3,525 353 +472% #207
1920s 14 5,505 5,519 552 +57% #223
1930s 18 4,823 4,841 484 -12% #218
1940s 10 6,531 6,541 654 +35% #216
1950s 15 10,532 10,547 1,055 +61% #209
1960s 64 12,120 12,184 1,218 +16% #196
1970s 89 9,442 9,531 953 -22% #206
1980s 76 9,654 9,730 973 +2% #221
1990s 10 7,032 7,042 704 -28% #265
2000s – 5,337 5,337 534 -24% #401
2010s – 4,387 4,387 439 -18% #465
2020s (to 2025) – 1,696 1,696 283 -36% #751

Where Byron 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 226 0.13 outside top 500
2027 220 0.13 outside top 500
2028 215 0.13 outside top 500
2029 211 0.12 outside top 500
2030 207 0.12 outside top 500

Where Byron is most popular

Boys named Byron per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.162 per 1,000. Strongest in Maryland, Massachusetts, and Louisiana.

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 Byron 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
Maryland 35 0.293 +81%
Massachusetts 36 0.262 +61%
Louisiana 26 0.254 +57%
Mississippi 14 0.246 +52%
Missouri 30 0.216 +33%
New Jersey 42 0.209 +29%
New York 86 0.199 +22%
Washington 32 0.196 +20%
Virginia 37 0.195 +20%
Florida 91 0.192 +18%
Minnesota 23 0.187 +16%
Georgia 47 0.186 +14%
Colorado 23 0.178 +10%
Texas 153 0.174 +7%
California 156 0.171 +5%
Pennsylvania 43 0.162 ≈ national
Illinois 41 0.160 ≈ national
Kansas 11 0.160 ≈ national
Nevada 9 0.158 ≈ national
North Carolina 39 0.153 -6%
Michigan 30 0.146 -10%
Arizona 23 0.141 -13%
Wisconsin 16 0.135 -17%
Alabama 13 0.119 -27%
Indiana 16 0.100 -39%
Ohio 23 0.087 -47%
Tennessee 14 0.078 -52%
Utah 7 0.073 -55%
South Carolina 7 0.068 -58%
Oklahoma 5 0.057 -65%
Kentucky 5 0.050 -69%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
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 Byron

Byron is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #981 in 2025 with 233 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 82,541 American babies have been named Byron. Its peak came in 1964, when 1,289 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

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 Byron stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Byron?

The median living Byron is about 48 years old; half are between 31 and 63. An estimated 58 thousand people named Byron are alive in the United States today.

median 48 020406080100

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

Byron 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 – – 233 #981
2024 – – 275 #878
2023 – – 291 #836
2022 – – 264 #891
2021 – – 339 #751
2020 – – 294 #790
2019 – – 347 #711
2018 – – 324 #737
2017 – – 399 #649
2016 – – 385 #670
2015 – – 457 #599
2014 – – 402 #653
2013 – – 515 #516
2012 – – 481 #543
2011 – – 512 #505
2010 – – 565 #465
2009 – – 738 #401
2008 – – 617 #450
2007 – – 496 #523
2006 – – 493 #522
2005 – – 503 #492
2004 – – 480 #510
2003 – – 502 #492
2002 – – 473 #486
2001 – – 491 #481
2000 – – 544 #439
1995 – – 598 #391
1990 5 #13,257 1,016 #265
1985 7 #8,451 894 #252
1980 5 #10,581 1,025 #231
1975 6 #8,101 913 #224
1970 10 #5,091 1,230 #206
1965 7 #5,339 1,225 #204
1960 – – 1,191 #234
1955 – – 1,055 #222
1950 – – 830 #222
1945 – – 563 #237
1940 – – 547 #227
1935 – – 457 #254
1930 7 #3,701 474 #256
1925 – – 516 #251
1920 – – 571 #224
1915 – – 458 #223
1910 – – 89 #256
1905 – – 59 #254
1900 – – 61 #262
1895 – – 56 #235
1890 – – 52 #230
1885 – – 46 #244
1880 – – 52 #225

Famous people named Byron

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

  1. 1 Byron Mann Byron Mann Hong Kong-American actor b. 1967 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Byron Scott Byron Scott American basketball player and coach (born 1961) Contemporary
  3. 3 Byron Howard Byron Howard American filmmaker (born 1968) Contemporary
  4. 4 Byron Nelson Byron Nelson American professional golfer (1912–2006) Contemporary
  5. 5 Byron Moreno Byron Moreno Ecuadorian football referee b. 1969 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Byron Dorgan Byron Dorgan American politician (born 1942) Contemporary
  7. 7 Byron Black Zimbabwean tennis player (born 1969) Contemporary
  8. 8 Byron K. Lichtenberg Byron K. Lichtenberg American astronaut and engineer (born 1948) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Byron?

The median living Byron is about 48 years old. Half of all living Byrons are between 31 and 63 years old.

How many people named Byron are alive today?

An estimated 58 thousand people named Byron are alive in the United States, based on 82,541 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Byron mean?

A habitational surname from Old English byrum (“at the byre or cattleshed”).

How popular is the name Byron in 2025?

Byron ranked #981 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 233 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Byron?

82,541 babies have been named Byron in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Byron most popular?

Byron peaked in 1964, when 1,289 newborns received the name.

Is Byron a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Byron rising or falling?

Byron is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Byron become more popular?

Byron is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 207 boys named Byron in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Byron?

Well-known people named Byron include Byron Mann (actor), Byron Scott (basketball player), Byron Howard (film director).

Names like Byron

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

Compare Byron with similar names → More names starting with B →