boys' name ★ peaked 2025

Ignatius

Meaning fire Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,664 Trend ↑ Rising 25%

From Latin Ignātius, variant of gens name Egnātius, altered to resemble ignis (“fire”), establishing a folk etymology meaning akin to “Fiery One”.

Rank 2025
#1,664
among boys · ↑78 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
100
named Ignatius · +5% vs 2024
How common
1 in 17,081
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
100 babies
All-time total
4,075
#2,053 all-time among boys
First recorded
1885
in Social Security records

Ignatius popularity over time

4,075 babies have been named Ignatius since 1885, 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
0.040.080.110.1518801900192019401960198020002020Peak 1906Boys

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 Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s 32 3 – #697
1890s 87 9 +172% #590
1900s 106 11 +22% #555
1910s 642 64 +506% #566
1920s 737 74 +15% #642
1930s 344 34 -53% #760
1940s 238 24 -31% #1,014
1950s 200 20 -16% #1,368
1960s 154 15 -23% #1,712
1970s 85 9 -45% #2,882
1980s 64 6 -25% #4,131
1990s 91 9 +42% #4,592
2000s 199 20 +119% #3,291
2010s 563 56 +183% #1,892
2020s (to 2025) 533 89 +58% #1,664

Where Ignatius 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 104 0.06 outside top 500
2027 107 0.06 outside top 500
2028 110 0.06 outside top 500
2029 113 0.07 outside top 500
2030 115 0.07 outside top 500

Where Ignatius is most popular

Boys named Ignatius per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.052 per 1,000. Strongest in Kansas, Nebraska, and Oregon.

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 Ignatius 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
Kansas 15 0.219 +317%
Nebraska 5 0.115 +119%
Oregon 7 0.092 +76%
Michigan 17 0.083 +58%
Missouri 10 0.072 +38%
Ohio 19 0.072 +37%
Pennsylvania 18 0.068 +29%
Minnesota 7 0.057 +9%
Wisconsin 6 0.051 ≈ national
Texas 38 0.043 -18%
Washington 6 0.037 -30%
New Jersey 5 0.025 -53%
Illinois 5 0.020 -63%
California 16 0.018 -67%
New York 5 0.012 -78%
Florida 5 0.011 -80%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
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 Ignatius

Ignatius is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,664 in 2025 with 100 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1885, 4,075 American babies have been named Ignatius. Its peak came in 2025, when 100 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 Ignatius stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Ignatius?

The median living Ignatius is about 13 years old; half are between 5 and 51. An estimated 2,000 people named Ignatius are alive in the United States today.

median 13 020406080100

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

Ignatius year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 100 #1,664
2024 95 #1,742
2023 89 #1,807
2022 85 #1,864
2021 84 #1,844
2020 80 #1,855
2019 79 #1,892
2018 78 #1,905
2017 70 #2,025
2016 62 #2,190
2015 60 #2,242
2014 41 #2,862
2013 48 #2,546
2012 38 #3,021
2011 52 #2,416
2010 35 #3,198
2009 34 #3,291
2008 33 #3,374
2007 28 #3,730
2006 23 #4,143
2005 16 #5,123
2004 15 #5,349
2003 13 #5,668
2002 23 #3,715
2001 7 #8,643
2000 7 #8,538
1995 6 #8,193
1990 9 #5,545
1985 10 #4,170
1980 – –
1975 8 #4,093
1970 8 #3,645
1965 19 #1,830
1960 18 #1,940
1955 26 #1,517
1950 16 #1,913
1945 16 #1,729
1940 25 #1,348
1935 25 #1,377
1930 71 #760
1925 60 #862
1920 97 #642
1915 81 #645
1910 20 #666
1905 11 #768
1900 11 #813
1895 8 #832
1890 9 #701
1885 5 #1,015
1880 – –

Famous people named Ignatius

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

  1. 1 Ignatius of Loyola Ignatius of Loyola Basque Spaniard Catholic priest and theologian (1491–1556) Medieval
  2. 2 Ignatius of Antioch Ignatius of Antioch Patriarch of Antioch from 68 to 107 35–108 · Antiquity
  3. 3 Ignatius Aphrem II Ignatius Aphrem II 123rd Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch (2014–Present) b. 1965 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Ignatius Kutu Acheampong Ignatius Kutu Acheampong Head of State of Ghana from 1972 to 1978 1931–1979 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Ignatius L. Donnelly Ignatius L. Donnelly American politician and fringe theorist (1831–1901) 19th century
  6. 6 Ignatius Joseph III Yonan Ignatius Joseph III Yonan Head of the Syriac Catholic Church since 2009 b. 1944 · Contemporary
  7. 7 Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo Indonesian cardinal b. 1950 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Ignatius Kung Pin-Mei Ignatius Kung Pin-Mei Chinese Roman Catholic cardinal 1901–2000 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Ignatius IV of Antioch Ignatius IV of Antioch 20th and 21st-century Patriarch of Antioch 1920–2012 · Contemporary
  10. 10 Ignatius Zakka I Iwas Ignatius Zakka I Iwas 122nd Patriarch of Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch (1980–2014) 1931–2014 · Contemporary
  11. 11 Ignatius Gabriel I Tappouni Ignatius Gabriel I Tappouni Head of the Syriac Catholic Church from 1929 to 1968 1879–1968 · 19th century
  12. 12 Ignatius Moses I Daoud Ignatius Moses I Daoud Head of the Syriac Catholic Church from 1998 to 2001 1930–2012 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Ignatius?

The median living Ignatius is about 13 years old. Half of all living Ignatiuss are between 5 and 51 years old.

How many people named Ignatius are alive today?

An estimated 2,000 people named Ignatius are alive in the United States, based on 4,075 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Ignatius mean?

From Latin Ignātius, variant of gens name Egnātius, altered to resemble ignis (“fire”), establishing a folk etymology meaning akin to “Fiery One”.

How popular is the name Ignatius in 2025?

Ignatius ranked #1,664 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 100 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Ignatius?

4,075 babies have been named Ignatius in the United States since 1885, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Ignatius most popular?

Ignatius peaked in 2025, when 100 newborns received the name.

Is Ignatius a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Ignatius rising or falling?

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

Will Ignatius become more popular?

Ignatius is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 115 boys named Ignatius 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 Ignatius?

Well-known people named Ignatius include Ignatius of Loyola (religious figure), Ignatius of Antioch (religious figure), Ignatius Aphrem II (religious figure).

Names like Ignatius

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

Compare Ignatius with similar names → More names starting with I →