boys' name ★ peaked 2016

Fox

Meaning fox. Gender Boy · 2% girls Rank 2025 #1,411 Trend ↓ Falling 31%

Fox is a unisex, primarily masculine, given name, a transferred use of the English surname meaning “fox.” In some instances, it might have been used as a given name in…

Rank 2025
#1,411
among boys · ↓294 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
129
named Fox · -35% vs 2024
How common
1 in 13,241
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2016
339 babies
All-time total
3,988
#2,142 all-time among boys
First recorded
1888
in Social Security records

Fox popularity over time

3,988 babies have been named Fox since 1888, 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
0.050.10.150.218801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 5 5 1 – #1,087
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – 10 10 1 – #3,838
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s – – – – – –
1980s – – – – – –
1990s – 178 178 18 – #2,072
2000s – 537 537 54 +202% #1,711
2010s 54 1,944 1,998 200 +272% #744
2020s (to 2025) 43 1,217 1,260 210 +5% #920

Where Fox 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 120 0.07 outside top 500
2027 113 0.07 outside top 500
2028 108 0.06 outside top 500
2029 103 0.06 outside top 500
2030 100 0.06 outside top 500

Where Fox is most popular

Boys named Fox per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.113 per 1,000. Strongest in Washington, Oregon, and Utah.

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 Fox 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
Washington 48 0.293 +160%
Oregon 18 0.237 +110%
Utah 20 0.210 +86%
Kentucky 17 0.169 +50%
Michigan 32 0.156 +39%
Colorado 20 0.155 +37%
Arizona 23 0.141 +25%
Pennsylvania 36 0.136 +20%
Georgia 32 0.126 +12%
Idaho 5 0.122 +8%
California 111 0.121 +8%
North Carolina 30 0.117 ≈ national
Illinois 30 0.117 ≈ national
Tennessee 21 0.116 ≈ national
Oklahoma 10 0.113 ≈ national
Wisconsin 13 0.110 ≈ national
Arkansas 6 0.095 -16%
Virginia 17 0.090 -21%
Indiana 14 0.087 -23%
Texas 72 0.082 -28%
Missouri 11 0.079 -30%
Florida 37 0.078 -31%
New York 30 0.069 -39%
Ohio 16 0.060 -46%
Maryland 7 0.059 -48%
Massachusetts 5 0.036 -68%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Kansas – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
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 Fox

Fox is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,411 in 2025 with 129 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1888, 3,988 American babies have been named Fox. Its peak came in 2016, when 339 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

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

How old are people named Fox?

The median living Fox is about 8 years old; half are between 4 and 12. An estimated 3,900 people named Fox 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.

Fox 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 – – 129 #1,411
2024 6 #14,045 192 #1,117
2023 9 #10,602 190 #1,114
2022 9 #10,647 221 #1,008
2021 12 #8,659 242 #933
2020 7 #12,590 243 #920
2019 9 #10,764 243 #906
2018 10 #10,060 285 #795
2017 10 #10,212 306 #767
2016 12 #9,070 327 #744
2015 6 #15,127 195 #1,035
2014 7 #13,540 164 #1,155
2013 – – 151 #1,189
2012 – – 96 #1,621
2011 – – 87 #1,707
2010 – – 90 #1,701
2009 – – 91 #1,711
2008 – – 81 #1,815
2007 – – 65 #2,099
2006 – – 41 #2,803
2005 – – 55 #2,192
2004 – – 53 #2,198
2003 – – 41 #2,521
2002 – – 28 #3,211
2001 – – 44 #2,289
2000 – – 38 #2,494
1995 – – 19 #3,471
1990 – – – –
1985 – – – –
1980 – – – –
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – 5 #4,206
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Fox?

The median living Fox is about 8 years old. Half of all living Foxs are between 4 and 12 years old.

How many people named Fox are alive today?

An estimated 3,900 people named Fox are alive in the United States, based on 3,988 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Fox mean?

Fox is a unisex, primarily masculine, given name, a transferred use of the English surname meaning “fox.” In some instances, it might have been used as a given name in honor of George Fox (1624–1691), the founder of the Quaker movement.

How popular is the name Fox in 2025?

Fox ranked #1,411 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 129 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Fox?

3,988 babies have been named Fox in the United States since 1888, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Fox most popular?

Fox peaked in 2016, when 339 newborns received the name.

Is Fox a boy or girl name?

Fox is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 98% of babies with the name.

Is the name Fox rising or falling?

Fox has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Fox become more popular?

Fox is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 100 boys named Fox in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Fox

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

Compare Fox with similar names → More names starting with F →