Unisex name ★ peaked 2022

Cedar

Gender Unisex · 36% girls Rank 2025 #1,244 Trend → Stable
Rank 2025
#1,244
among boys · ↓54 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
220
named Cedar · -12% vs 2024
How common
1 in 10,675
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2022
271 babies
All-time total
4,091
#2,778 all-time among boys
First recorded
1972
in Social Security records

Cedar popularity over time

4,091 babies have been named Cedar since 1972, 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
0.040.080.110.1518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s 68 75 143 14 – #2,378
1980s 100 85 185 19 +29% #3,651
1990s 136 143 279 28 +51% #3,030
2000s 263 339 602 60 +116% #2,495
2010s 450 1,000 1,450 145 +141% #1,190
2020s (to 2025) 445 987 1,432 239 +65% #1,125

Where Cedar 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 163 0.10 outside top 500
2027 166 0.10 outside top 500
2028 168 0.10 outside top 500
2029 170 0.10 outside top 500
2030 172 0.10 outside top 500

Where Cedar is most popular

Boys named Cedar per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.096 per 1,000. Strongest in Oregon, Idaho, and Washington.

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 Cedar 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
Oregon 50 0.659 +586%
Idaho 25 0.611 +536%
Washington 73 0.446 +365%
Alaska 5 0.420 +337%
Utah 37 0.388 +304%
Colorado 41 0.318 +231%
Montana 5 0.284 +195%
Michigan 27 0.132 +37%
Tennessee 23 0.127 +33%
Minnesota 14 0.114 +19%
Arkansas 5 0.079 -18%
California 64 0.070 -27%
Pennsylvania 13 0.049 -49%
New York 21 0.049 -49%
Alabama 5 0.046 -52%
Arizona 7 0.043 -55%
Wisconsin 5 0.042 -56%
Texas 35 0.040 -59%
North Carolina 10 0.039 -59%
Missouri 5 0.036 -62%
Florida 14 0.030 -69%
Virginia 5 0.026 -73%
Ohio 6 0.023 -76%
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
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 Cedar

Cedar is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,244 in 2025 with 160 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1972, 4,091 American babies have been named Cedar, about 64% boys and 36% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2022, when 271 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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

How old are people named Cedar?

The median living Cedar is about 8 years old; half are between 4 and 18. An estimated 4,000 people named Cedar are alive in the United States today.

median 8 020406080100

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

Cedar 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 60 #2,827 160 #1,244
2024 76 #2,393 173 #1,190
2023 81 #2,274 155 #1,248
2022 83 #2,259 188 #1,125
2021 70 #2,515 153 #1,246
2020 75 #2,347 158 #1,201
2019 58 #2,863 161 #1,190
2018 49 #3,257 145 #1,263
2017 55 #2,971 136 #1,324
2016 41 #3,722 134 #1,331
2015 61 #2,857 110 #1,503
2014 51 #3,194 75 #1,923
2013 41 #3,723 69 #1,994
2012 36 #4,142 62 #2,157
2011 28 #4,949 58 #2,237
2010 30 #4,766 50 #2,475
2009 26 #5,422 41 #2,905
2008 32 #4,675 41 #2,887
2007 35 #4,318 47 #2,613
2006 28 #4,985 48 #2,517
2005 20 #6,063 26 #3,632
2004 30 #4,516 27 #3,466
2003 19 #6,117 27 #3,372
2002 24 #4,934 24 #3,575
2001 24 #4,866 39 #2,495
2000 25 #4,679 19 #4,081
1995 19 #5,053 10 #5,557
1990 7 #10,387 6 #7,310
1985 10 #6,536 5 #6,681
1980 14 #5,012 11 #3,651
1975 9 #6,033 6 #4,881
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Cedar

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

  1. 1 Cedar Walton Cedar Walton American jazz pianist (1934–2013) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Cedar?

The median living Cedar is about 8 years old. Half of all living Cedars are between 4 and 18 years old.

How many people named Cedar are alive today?

An estimated 4,000 people named Cedar are alive in the United States, based on 4,091 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Cedar in 2025?

Cedar ranked #1,244 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 160 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Cedar?

4,091 babies have been named Cedar in the United States since 1972, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Cedar most popular?

Cedar peaked in 2022, when 271 newborns received the name.

Is Cedar a boy or girl name?

Cedar is used for both: about 36% of babies named Cedar have been girls and 64% boys.

Is the name Cedar rising or falling?

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

Will Cedar become more popular?

Cedar is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 172 boys named Cedar 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 Cedar?

Well-known people named Cedar include Cedar Walton (musician).

Names like Cedar

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

Compare Cedar with similar names → More names starting with C →