boys' name ★ peaked 1921

George

Meaning farmer, earth worker Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #126 Trend → Stable

Name of an early saint, from Middle English George, from Latin Geōrgius, from Ancient Greek Γεώργῐος (Geṓrgĭos), from γεωργός (geōrgós, “farmer, earth worker”), from γῆ…

Rank 2025
#126
among boys · ↓3 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
2,853
named George · -2% vs 2024
How common
1 in 600
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1921
27,682 babies
All-time total
1,497,260
#15 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

George popularity over time

1,497,260 babies have been named George 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
12.52537.55018801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 329 47,651 47,980 4,798 – #4
1890s 345 43,358 43,703 4,370 -9% #4
1900s 335 43,589 43,924 4,392 +1% #4
1910s 1,096 176,609 177,705 17,771 +305% #4
1920s 2,060 261,945 264,005 26,401 +49% #6
1930s 1,602 192,289 193,891 19,389 -27% #8
1940s 1,276 209,013 210,289 21,029 +8% #11
1950s 1,023 181,031 182,054 18,205 -13% #20
1960s 749 113,023 113,772 11,377 -38% #31
1970s 510 64,757 65,267 6,527 -43% #40
1980s 369 45,712 46,081 4,608 -29% #60
1990s 136 35,246 35,382 3,538 -23% #79
2000s 74 28,006 28,080 2,808 -21% #129
2010s 33 28,407 28,440 2,844 +1% #120
2020s (to 2025) 26 16,661 16,687 2,781 -2% #123

Where George 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 2,833 1.66 #128
2027 2,820 1.65 #129
2028 2,810 1.64 #129
2029 2,800 1.64 #130
2030 2,793 1.64 #130

Where George is most popular

Boys named George per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 1.61 per 1,000. Strongest in District of Columbia, New Hampshire, and Maine.

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 George 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
District of Columbia 133 9.01 +460%
New Hampshire 91 4.10 +155%
Maine 75 3.87 +140%
Vermont 24 3.82 +138%
Massachusetts 470 3.42 +113%
Connecticut 213 3.15 +96%
Rhode Island 50 3.07 +91%
Minnesota 368 3.00 +87%
Montana 52 2.95 +83%
Alaska 35 2.94 +83%
Kansas 192 2.80 +74%
Illinois 678 2.65 +65%
Wisconsin 285 2.41 +50%
Virginia 456 2.40 +49%
North Dakota 40 2.34 +46%
South Carolina 241 2.33 +45%
Nebraska 101 2.32 +44%
Missouri 319 2.30 +43%
Utah 217 2.27 +41%
South Dakota 42 2.26 +40%
Idaho 92 2.25 +40%
Colorado 275 2.13 +33%
Hawaii 33 2.12 +32%
Wyoming 12 2.07 +29%
New York 887 2.05 +27%
Michigan 404 1.97 +23%
Ohio 520 1.96 +22%
Washington 321 1.96 +22%
Tennessee 354 1.96 +22%
Pennsylvania 517 1.95 +21%
Iowa 133 1.93 +20%
Alabama 210 1.92 +19%
Oregon 144 1.90 +18%
North Carolina 478 1.87 +16%
New Jersey 376 1.87 +16%
Maryland 221 1.85 +15%
Delaware 28 1.85 +15%
Indiana 294 1.83 +14%
Louisiana 187 1.83 +14%
Georgia 451 1.78 +11%
Arkansas 107 1.69 +5%
Kentucky 163 1.62 ≈ national
Mississippi 92 1.62 ≈ national
Oklahoma 134 1.51 -6%
Nevada 80 1.40 -13%
New Mexico 46 1.40 -13%
Florida 646 1.36 -15%
California 1,217 1.33 -17%
Texas 1,131 1.28 -20%
Arizona 188 1.15 -29%
West Virginia 25 0.766 -52%

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 George

George is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #126 in 2025 with 2,848 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 1,497,260 American babies have been named George. Its peak came in 1921, when 27,682 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 George stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named George?

The median living George is about 64 years old; half are between 44 and 75. An estimated 579 thousand people named George are alive in the United States today.

median 64 020406080100

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

George 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 5 #15,702 2,848 #126
2024 7 #12,619 2,902 #123
2023 – – 2,697 #136
2022 – – 2,640 #142
2021 7 #12,643 2,799 #134
2020 7 #12,600 2,775 #132
2019 8 #11,726 3,197 #120
2018 – – 3,083 #127
2017 – – 3,169 #125
2016 6 #14,965 3,313 #126
2015 – – 3,053 #135
2014 – – 3,007 #135
2013 – – 2,559 #157
2012 5 #17,780 2,334 #166
2011 7 #13,847 2,318 #165
2010 7 #13,971 2,374 #165
2009 6 #15,909 2,381 #163
2008 – – 2,553 #155
2007 9 #11,964 2,760 #148
2006 7 #14,078 2,701 #153
2005 8 #12,212 2,823 #139
2004 14 #7,969 2,735 #146
2003 5 #16,614 2,910 #138
2002 9 #10,512 3,018 #131
2001 9 #10,389 3,088 #129
2000 7 #12,238 3,037 #130
1995 16 #5,777 3,286 #115
1990 15 #5,920 4,567 #79
1985 37 #2,612 4,259 #72
1980 38 #2,500 5,300 #60
1975 54 #1,737 5,847 #53
1970 67 #1,492 8,911 #40
1965 78 #1,220 10,680 #34
1960 83 #1,193 14,063 #33
1955 107 #958 18,167 #26
1950 110 #836 20,183 #20
1945 128 #647 19,327 #15
1940 129 #614 18,315 #11
1935 154 #517 18,564 #8
1930 242 #429 22,788 #8
1925 207 #487 26,560 #6
1920 166 #556 26,891 #6
1915 139 #538 22,307 #6
1910 58 #536 5,441 #5
1905 32 #626 4,256 #4
1900 39 #544 5,403 #4
1895 46 #418 4,289 #4
1890 37 #417 4,458 #4
1885 29 #384 4,674 #4
1880 26 #312 5,126 #5

Famous people named George

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

  1. 1 George Washington George Washington Founding Father, U.S. president from 1789 to 1797 1732–1799 · 18th century
  2. 2 George W. Bush George W. Bush President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 b. 1946 · Contemporary
  3. 3 George VI George VI King of the United Kingdom from 1936 to 1952 1895–1952 · 19th century
  4. 4 George V George V King of the United Kingdom from 1910 to 1936 1865–1936 · 19th century
  5. 5 George H. W. Bush George H. W. Bush President of the United States from 1989 to 1993 1924–2018 · Contemporary
  6. 6 George Harrison George Harrison English musician (1943–2001) Contemporary
  7. 7 George Soros George Soros Hungarian and American investor and philanthropist (born 1930) Contemporary
  8. 8 George Orwell George Orwell English author and journalist (1903–1950) Contemporary
  9. 9 George S. Patton George S. Patton United States Army general (1885–1945) 19th century
  10. 10 George Lucas George Lucas American filmmaker and entrepreneur (born 1944) Contemporary
  11. 11 George I of Great Britain George I of Great Britain King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1714 to 1727 1660–1727 · 17th century
  12. 12 George II of Great Britain George II of Great Britain King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1727 to 1760 1683–1760 · 17th century
  13. 13 George Best George Best Northern Irish footballer (1946–2005) Contemporary
  14. 14 George Lazenby George Lazenby Australian retired actor (born 1939) Contemporary
  15. 15 George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw Irish playwright, critic, and polemicist (1856–1950) 19th century
  16. 16 George I of Greece George I of Greece King of Greece from 1863 to 1913 1845–1913 · 19th century
  17. 17 George Gershwin George Gershwin American composer and pianist (1898–1937) 19th century
  18. 18 George Frideric Handel George Frideric Handel German-British composer (1685–1759) 17th century
  19. 19 George Sand George Sand French novelist and memoirist (1804–1876) 19th century
  20. 20 George Gurdjieff George Gurdjieff Russian Empire mystic and writer (c. 1866–1877 – 1949) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average George?

The median living George is about 64 years old. Half of all living Georges are between 44 and 75 years old.

How many people named George are alive today?

An estimated 579 thousand people named George are alive in the United States, based on 1,497,260 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name George mean?

Name of an early saint, from Middle English George, from Latin Geōrgius, from Ancient Greek Γεώργῐος (Geṓrgĭos), from γεωργός (geōrgós, “farmer, earth worker”), from γῆ (gê, “earth”) (combining form γεω- (geō-)) + ἔργον (érgon,…

How popular is the name George in 2025?

George ranked #126 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 2,848 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named George?

1,497,260 babies have been named George in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name George most popular?

George peaked in 1921, when 27,682 newborns received the name.

Is George a boy or girl name?

George is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name George rising or falling?

George has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will George become more popular?

George looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 2,793 boys named George in 2030, ranking around #130. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named George?

Well-known people named George include George Washington (politician), George W. Bush (politician), George VI (politician).

Names like George

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

Compare George with similar names → More names starting with G →