boys' name ★ peaked 1960

Craig

Meaning A male given name transferred from the surname Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,644 Trend ↓ Falling 38%

A male given name transferred from the surname.

Rank 2025
#1,644
among boys · ↑192 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
102
named Craig · +16% vs 2024
How common
1 in 16,746
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1960
10,744 babies
All-time total
300,628
#122 all-time among boys
First recorded
1881
in Social Security records

Craig popularity over time

300,628 babies have been named Craig since 1881, 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
1.883.755.637.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 17 17 2 – #834
1890s – 30 30 3 +76% #801
1900s – 78 78 8 +160% #596
1910s 5 454 459 46 +488% #653
1920s 5 907 912 91 +99% #580
1930s – 1,946 1,946 195 +113% #297
1940s 61 20,289 20,350 2,035 +946% #77
1950s 161 69,481 69,642 6,964 +242% #44
1960s 252 84,712 84,964 8,496 +22% #39
1970s 277 58,787 59,064 5,906 -30% #39
1980s 216 38,095 38,311 3,831 -35% #70
1990s 35 16,105 16,140 1,614 -58% #117
2000s – 5,543 5,543 554 -66% #340
2010s – 2,472 2,472 247 -55% #664
2020s (to 2025) – 700 700 117 -53% #1,245

Where Craig 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 94 0.06 outside top 500
2027 89 0.05 outside top 500
2028 84 0.05 outside top 500
2029 80 0.05 outside top 500
2030 77 0.04 outside top 500

Where Craig is most popular

Boys named Craig per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.064 per 1,000. Strongest in Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and New York.

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 Craig 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
Louisiana 16 0.156 +145%
Pennsylvania 25 0.094 +48%
New York 35 0.081 +27%
Michigan 16 0.078 +22%
Florida 36 0.076 +19%
Georgia 19 0.075 +18%
Connecticut 5 0.074 +16%
Massachusetts 10 0.073 +14%
North Carolina 17 0.067 ≈ national
Texas 50 0.057 -11%
Ohio 13 0.049 -23%
California 24 0.026 -59%
New Jersey 5 0.025 -61%
Illinois 6 0.023 -63%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
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 Craig

Craig is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,644 in 2025 with 102 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1881, 300,628 American babies have been named Craig. Its peak came in 1960, when 10,744 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 Craig stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Craig?

The median living Craig is about 57 years old; half are between 46 and 65. An estimated 249 thousand people named Craig are alive in the United States today.

median 57 020406080100

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

Craig 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 – – 102 #1,644
2024 – – 88 #1,836
2023 – – 115 #1,531
2022 – – 121 #1,499
2021 – – 125 #1,444
2020 – – 149 #1,245
2019 – – 205 #1,013
2018 – – 161 #1,181
2017 – – 210 #980
2016 – – 238 #905
2015 – – 237 #910
2014 – – 228 #931
2013 – – 268 #814
2012 – – 291 #778
2011 – – 272 #806
2010 – – 362 #664
2009 – – 368 #666
2008 – – 428 #589
2007 – – 471 #546
2006 – – 463 #547
2005 – – 504 #491
2004 – – 523 #479
2003 – – 607 #424
2002 – – 689 #379
2001 – – 682 #381
2000 – – 808 #340
1995 5 #13,893 1,355 #219
1990 14 #6,193 2,907 #117
1985 19 #4,162 3,952 #79
1980 17 #4,362 4,234 #73
1975 14 #4,397 5,110 #58
1970 46 #1,879 9,364 #39
1965 19 #2,852 7,877 #46
1960 20 #2,752 10,724 #41
1955 19 #2,564 7,448 #50
1950 12 #3,095 4,888 #69
1945 7 #3,736 1,597 #134
1940 – – 384 #285
1935 – – 170 #430
1930 – – 105 #585
1925 – – 97 #645
1920 5 #5,140 77 #746
1915 – – 72 #684
1910 – – 8 #1,224
1905 – – – –
1900 – – 9 #918
1895 – – – –
1890 – – 7 #823
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Craig

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

  1. 1 Craig T. Nelson Craig T. Nelson American actor (born 1944) Contemporary
  2. 2 Craig Ferguson Craig Ferguson Scottish and American comedian (born 1962) Contemporary
  3. 3 Craig Robinson Craig Robinson American actor, comedian and musician (born 1971) Contemporary
  4. 4 Craig Mack Craig Mack American rapper (1970–2018) Contemporary
  5. 5 Craig Gillespie Craig Gillespie Australian film director (born 1967) Contemporary
  6. 6 Craig Gordon Craig Gordon Scottish footballer (born 1982) Contemporary
  7. 7 Craig Sheffer American actor (b. 1960) Contemporary
  8. 8 Craig Bellamy Craig Bellamy Welsh footballer and coach (born 1979) Contemporary
  9. 9 Craig David Craig David British singer (born 1981) Contemporary
  10. 10 Craig Bierko Craig Bierko American actor (born 1964) Contemporary
  11. 11 Craig Mazin Craig Mazin American screenwriter and film director b. 1971 · Contemporary
  12. 12 Craig Jones Craig Jones American musician (born 1972) Contemporary
  13. 13 Craig McCracken Craig McCracken American animator (born 1971) Contemporary
  14. 14 Craig Parker Craig Parker New Zealand actor b. 1970 · Contemporary
  15. 15 Craig Federighi Craig Federighi American software engineer b. 1969 · Contemporary
  16. 16 Craig Wasson Craig Wasson American actor (born 1954) Contemporary
  17. 17 Craig Johnston Australian soccer player (born 1960) Contemporary
  18. 18 Craig Hodges Craig Hodges American basketball player-coach (born 1960) Contemporary
  19. 19 Craig Venter Craig Venter American geneticist (1946–2026) Contemporary
  20. 20 Craig Olejnik Craig Olejnik Canadian actor b. 1979 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Craig?

The median living Craig is about 57 years old. Half of all living Craigs are between 46 and 65 years old.

How many people named Craig are alive today?

An estimated 249 thousand people named Craig are alive in the United States, based on 300,628 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Craig mean?

A male given name transferred from the surname.

How popular is the name Craig in 2025?

Craig ranked #1,644 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 102 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Craig?

300,628 babies have been named Craig in the United States since 1881, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Craig most popular?

Craig peaked in 1960, when 10,744 newborns received the name.

Is Craig a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Craig rising or falling?

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

Will Craig become more popular?

Craig is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 77 boys named Craig 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 Craig?

Well-known people named Craig include Craig T. Nelson (actor), Craig Ferguson (actor), Craig Robinson (actor).

Names like Craig

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

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