Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2021

Honor

Meaning Shortened from Honoria and Honora Gender Unisex · 68% girls Rank 2025 #2,390 Trend ↓ Falling 11%

Shortened from Honoria and Honora; later also interpreted as a virtue name by Puritans.

Rank 2025
#2,390
among girls · ↓281 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
163
named Honor · -18% vs 2024
How common
1 in 21,430
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2021
247 babies
All-time total
4,604
#3,515 all-time among girls
First recorded
1888
in Social Security records

Honor popularity over time

4,604 babies have been named Honor 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
0.030.050.080.118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
GirlsBoys

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 6 – 6 1 – #1,199
1890s 30 – 30 3 +400% #1,116
1900s 52 – 52 5 +73% #1,333
1910s 81 – 81 8 +56% #1,839
1920s 121 – 121 12 +49% #2,216
1930s 86 – 86 9 -29% #2,419
1940s 74 – 74 7 -14% #2,930
1950s 76 6 82 8 +11% #3,394
1960s 100 – 100 10 +22% #3,128
1970s 121 – 121 12 +21% #4,043
1980s 88 – 88 9 -27% #4,541
1990s 156 – 156 16 +77% #3,869
2000s 429 124 553 55 +254% #2,008
2010s 1,111 687 1,798 180 +225% #1,607
2020s (to 2025) 598 658 1,256 209 +16% #1,737

Where Honor is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (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 girls Implied rank
2026 73 0.05 outside top 500
2027 72 0.04 outside top 500
2028 70 0.04 outside top 500
2029 69 0.04 outside top 500
2030 69 0.04 outside top 500

Where Honor is most popular

Girls named Honor per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.062 per 1,000. Strongest in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Honor 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 Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Georgia 48 0.211 +241%
Pennsylvania 20 0.085 +36%
Tennessee 11 0.069 +12%
Oklahoma 5 0.068 +10%
California 52 0.062 ≈ national
Louisiana 5 0.057 -8%
Texas 41 0.051 -18%
Ohio 12 0.051 -18%
North Carolina 11 0.048 -22%
Maryland 5 0.047 -24%
Florida 19 0.044 -28%
Illinois 10 0.044 -30%
New York 13 0.033 -47%
Michigan 5 0.027 -56%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
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 Honor

Honor is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #2,390 in 2025 with 75 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1888, 4,604 American babies have been named Honor, about 68% girls and 32% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2021, when 247 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 Honor stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Honor?

The median living Honor is about 10 years old; half are between 4 and 16. An estimated 4,200 people named Honor are alive in the United States today.

median 10 020406080100

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

Honor 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 75 #2,390 88 #1,814
2024 91 #2,109 109 #1,585
2023 100 #1,970 112 #1,562
2022 120 #1,737 116 #1,543
2021 117 #1,752 130 #1,414
2020 95 #1,983 103 #1,582
2019 107 #1,878 104 #1,597
2018 105 #1,904 95 #1,674
2017 106 #1,910 98 #1,625
2016 106 #1,901 73 #1,980
2015 124 #1,707 46 #2,656
2014 109 #1,858 51 #2,472
2013 134 #1,607 65 #2,077
2012 134 #1,615 63 #2,144
2011 99 #1,989 48 #2,561
2010 87 #2,226 44 #2,754
2009 103 #2,008 36 #3,185
2008 40 #3,959 28 #3,767
2007 28 #5,149 11 #7,283
2006 34 #4,297 15 #5,622
2005 28 #4,751 7 #9,488
2004 36 #3,932 6 #10,454
2003 45 #3,255 9 #7,475
2002 42 #3,294 7 #8,804
2001 33 #3,893 – –
2000 40 #3,355 5 #11,028
1995 13 #6,790 – –
1990 9 #8,739 – –
1985 7 #8,664 – –
1980 8 #7,650 – –
1975 13 #4,681 – –
1970 9 #5,548 – –
1965 12 #3,816 – –
1960 8 #4,927 – –
1955 8 #4,524 – –
1950 7 #4,481 – –
1945 9 #3,233 – –
1940 5 #4,634 – –
1935 – – – –
1930 8 #3,481 – –
1925 16 #2,325 – –
1920 7 #4,161 – –
1915 5 #4,576 – –
1910 8 #1,839 – –
1905 8 #1,471 – –
1900 5 #2,055 – –
1895 6 #1,494 – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Honor

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

  1. 1 Honor Blackman Honor Blackman British actress (1925–2020) Contemporary
  2. 2 Honoré de Balzac Honoré de Balzac French novelist and playwright (1799–1850) 18th century
  3. 3 Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau French writer, orator and statesman (1749–1791) 18th century
  4. 4 Honoré Daumier Honoré Daumier French artist (1808–1879) 19th century
  5. 5 Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco Prince of Monaco from 1814 to 1819 1758–1819 · 18th century
  6. 6 Honoré III, Prince of Monaco Honoré III, Prince of Monaco Prince of Monaco from 1733 to 1793 1720–1795 · 18th century
  7. 7 Honoré II, Prince of Monaco Honoré II, Prince of Monaco Lord/Prince of Monaco from 1604 to 1662 1597–1662 · 16th century
  8. 8 Honoré V, Prince of Monaco Honoré V, Prince of Monaco Prince of Monaco from 1819 to 1841 1778–1841 · 18th century
  9. 9 Honoré Charles Reille Honoré Charles Reille French military officer (1775–1860) 18th century
  10. 10 Honoré d'Urfé Honoré d'Urfé French novelist (1568–1625) 1567–1625 · 16th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Honor?

The median living Honor is about 10 years old. Half of all living Honors are between 4 and 16 years old.

How many people named Honor are alive today?

An estimated 4,200 people named Honor are alive in the United States, based on 4,604 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Honor mean?

Shortened from Honoria and Honora; later also interpreted as a virtue name by Puritans.

How popular is the name Honor in 2025?

Honor ranked #2,390 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 75 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Honor?

4,604 babies have been named Honor in the United States since 1888, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Honor most popular?

Honor peaked in 2021, when 247 newborns received the name.

Is Honor a boy or girl name?

Honor is used for both: about 68% of babies named Honor have been girls and 32% boys.

Is the name Honor rising or falling?

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

Will Honor become more popular?

Honor is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 69 girls named Honor 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 Honor?

Well-known people named Honor include Honor Blackman (actor), Honoré de Balzac (writer), Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau (writer).

Names like Honor

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

Compare Honor with similar names → More names starting with H →