boys' name ★ peaked 1927

Junior

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #752 Trend ↑ Rising 29%

A male given name, from a nickname for someone with the title Jr.

Rank 2025
#752
among boys · ↓69 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
343
named Junior · -14% vs 2024
How common
1 in 4,980
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1927
1,607 babies
All-time total
43,182
#554 all-time among boys
First recorded
1882
in Social Security records

Junior popularity over time

43,182 babies have been named Junior since 1882, 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
0.511.5218801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 23 23 2 – #674
1890s – 59 59 6 +157% #662
1900s – 162 162 16 +175% #480
1910s – 1,800 1,800 180 +1011% #235
1920s 123 12,925 13,048 1,305 +625% #115
1930s 61 8,004 8,065 807 -38% #135
1940s 6 3,804 3,810 381 -53% #271
1950s – 2,375 2,375 238 -38% #407
1960s – 1,535 1,535 154 -35% #553
1970s – 948 948 95 -38% #768
1980s – 1,213 1,213 121 +28% #764
1990s 5 1,908 1,913 191 +58% #710
2000s – 3,340 3,340 334 +75% #609
2010s – 2,795 2,795 280 -16% #764
2020s (to 2025) – 2,096 2,096 349 +25% #683

Where Junior 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 357 0.21 outside top 500
2027 370 0.22 outside top 500
2028 381 0.22 outside top 500
2029 390 0.23 outside top 500
2030 399 0.23 outside top 500

Where Junior is most popular

Boys named Junior per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.205 per 1,000. Strongest in Maryland, Arizona, and New Jersey.

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 Junior 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
Maryland 42 0.352 +72%
Arizona 50 0.306 +49%
New Jersey 61 0.303 +48%
California 271 0.296 +45%
North Carolina 75 0.294 +43%
Florida 139 0.294 +43%
Georgia 71 0.280 +37%
Massachusetts 38 0.276 +35%
Virginia 51 0.269 +31%
Tennessee 48 0.266 +30%
Texas 224 0.254 +24%
New York 99 0.229 +11%
Washington 34 0.208 ≈ national
Oklahoma 18 0.204 ≈ national
Alabama 21 0.192 -6%
Kansas 12 0.175 -15%
South Carolina 18 0.174 -15%
Wisconsin 20 0.169 -18%
Colorado 21 0.163 -21%
Iowa 11 0.160 -22%
Ohio 40 0.151 -26%
Indiana 23 0.143 -30%
Pennsylvania 38 0.143 -30%
Illinois 34 0.133 -35%
Oregon 10 0.132 -36%
Nebraska 5 0.115 -44%
Minnesota 14 0.114 -44%
Kentucky 11 0.110 -47%
Missouri 13 0.094 -54%
Nevada 5 0.088 -57%
Arkansas 5 0.079 -61%
Connecticut 5 0.074 -64%
Michigan 11 0.054 -74%
Alaska – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
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 Junior

Junior is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #752 in 2025 with 343 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1882, 43,182 American babies have been named Junior. Its peak came in 1927, when 1,607 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 Junior stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Junior?

The median living Junior is about 30 years old; half are between 15 and 68. An estimated 18 thousand people named Junior are alive in the United States today.

median 30 020406080100

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

Junior 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 – – 343 #752
2024 – – 398 #683
2023 – – 357 #737
2022 – – 327 #773
2021 – – 347 #738
2020 – – 324 #750
2019 – – 275 #821
2018 – – 286 #792
2017 – – 253 #862
2016 – – 284 #811
2015 – – 275 #823
2014 – – 278 #818
2013 – – 296 #764
2012 – – 272 #815
2011 – – 285 #784
2010 – – 291 #768
2009 – – 336 #709
2008 – – 381 #643
2007 – – 401 #617
2006 – – 379 #625
2005 – – 370 #609
2004 – – 316 #650
2003 – – 311 #648
2002 – – 311 #633
2001 – – 270 #672
2000 – – 265 #674
1995 5 #14,439 224 #710
1990 – – 152 #831
1985 – – 111 #856
1980 – – 120 #802
1975 – – 80 #920
1970 – – 103 #803
1965 – – 149 #622
1960 – – 204 #553
1955 – – 232 #482
1950 – – 274 #407
1945 – – 401 #298
1940 6 #4,095 429 #271
1935 5 #4,545 677 #191
1930 7 #3,859 1,325 #135
1925 13 #2,695 1,545 #115
1920 9 #3,465 699 #193
1915 – – 148 #451
1910 – – 36 #458
1905 – – 18 #558
1900 – – 15 #666
1895 – – 6 #1,029
1890 – – – –
1885 – – 7 #804
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Junior

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

  1. 1 Junior dos Santos Junior dos Santos Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter (born 1984) Contemporary
  2. 2 Junior Firpo Junior Firpo Dominican footballer (born 1996) Contemporary
  3. 3 Junior Wells Junior Wells American blues singer and harmonica player (1934–1998) Contemporary
  4. 4 Junior Agogo Junior Agogo Ghanaian footballer (1979–2019) Contemporary
  5. 5 Junior Stanislas English footballer (born 1989) Contemporary
  6. 6 Junior Dutra Brazilian footballer b. 1988 · Contemporary
  7. 7 Junior Barros Brazilian footballer b. 1993 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Junior?

The median living Junior is about 30 years old. Half of all living Juniors are between 15 and 68 years old.

How many people named Junior are alive today?

An estimated 18 thousand people named Junior are alive in the United States, based on 43,182 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Junior mean?

A male given name, from a nickname for someone with the title Jr.

How popular is the name Junior in 2025?

Junior ranked #752 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 343 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Junior?

43,182 babies have been named Junior in the United States since 1882, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Junior most popular?

Junior peaked in 1927, when 1,607 newborns received the name.

Is Junior a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Junior rising or falling?

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

Will Junior become more popular?

Junior is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 399 boys named Junior 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 Junior?

Well-known people named Junior include Junior dos Santos (martial arts), Junior Firpo (soccer player), Junior Wells (singer).

Names like Junior

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

Compare Junior with similar names → More names starting with J →