boys' name ★ peaked 2017

Major

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #670 Trend ↓ Falling 45%

Major is an English-language given name, which often causes confusion with the military rank of the same name.

Rank 2025
#670
among boys · ↓88 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
407
named Major · -18% vs 2024
How common
1 in 4,197
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2017
1,050 babies
All-time total
21,749
#802 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Major popularity over time

21,749 babies have been named Major 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
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 378 378 38 – #247
1890s – 379 379 38 0% #263
1900s – 388 388 39 +2% #278
1910s – 1,147 1,147 115 +196% #388
1920s 5 1,436 1,441 144 +26% #469
1930s 11 1,051 1,062 106 -26% #500
1940s – 1,176 1,176 118 +11% #515
1950s – 1,114 1,114 111 -5% #587
1960s – 692 692 69 -38% #830
1970s – 572 572 57 -17% #948
1980s – 552 552 55 -3% #1,100
1990s – 450 450 45 -18% #1,428
2000s – 868 868 87 +93% #1,047
2010s 37 7,616 7,653 765 +782% #331
2020s (to 2025) 23 3,854 3,877 646 -16% #349

Where Major 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 368 0.22 outside top 500
2027 338 0.20 outside top 500
2028 314 0.18 outside top 500
2029 295 0.17 outside top 500
2030 280 0.16 outside top 500

Where Major is most popular

Boys named Major per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.341 per 1,000. Strongest in Mississippi, District of Columbia, and South Carolina.

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 Major 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
Mississippi 91 1.60 +370%
District of Columbia 20 1.35 +298%
South Carolina 105 1.02 +198%
Georgia 246 0.971 +185%
Alabama 104 0.951 +179%
Louisiana 78 0.763 +124%
Tennessee 128 0.709 +108%
North Carolina 162 0.634 +86%
Nevada 36 0.631 +85%
Arkansas 37 0.585 +72%
Missouri 79 0.570 +67%
Oklahoma 48 0.543 +59%
Maryland 62 0.520 +53%
Ohio 129 0.487 +43%
Florida 224 0.473 +39%
Michigan 92 0.449 +32%
Indiana 72 0.449 +32%
Delaware 6 0.396 +16%
Wisconsin 45 0.380 +12%
Virginia 72 0.379 +11%
Illinois 96 0.376 +10%
Texas 319 0.362 +6%
Pennsylvania 88 0.331 ≈ national
Kentucky 22 0.219 -36%
Iowa 15 0.218 -36%
New York 92 0.212 -38%
Minnesota 26 0.212 -38%
New Jersey 38 0.189 -45%
California 163 0.178 -48%
Connecticut 10 0.148 -57%
Arizona 24 0.147 -57%
Kansas 10 0.146 -57%
Nebraska 5 0.115 -66%
Massachusetts 13 0.095 -72%
Utah 5 0.052 -85%
Washington 8 0.049 -86%
Alaska – – –
Colorado – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
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 Major

Major is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #670 in 2025 with 407 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 21,749 American babies have been named Major. Its peak came in 2017, when 1,050 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 Major stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Major?

The median living Major is about 10 years old; half are between 6 and 21. An estimated 16 thousand people named Major 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.

Major 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 – – 407 #670
2024 5 #16,784 491 #582
2023 5 #16,702 579 #514
2022 – – 705 #441
2021 5 #16,793 759 #411
2020 8 #11,738 913 #349
2019 6 #14,908 948 #351
2018 11 #9,569 944 #350
2017 8 #12,339 1,042 #331
2016 – – 990 #348
2015 – – 913 #361
2014 7 #14,023 934 #350
2013 5 #18,254 854 #366
2012 – – 556 #486
2011 – – 197 #990
2010 – – 238 #881
2009 – – 182 #1,047
2008 – – 90 #1,701
2007 – – 94 #1,645
2006 – – 83 #1,707
2005 – – 74 #1,783
2004 – – 75 #1,710
2003 – – 63 #1,880
2002 – – 78 #1,581
2001 – – 74 #1,610
2000 – – 55 #1,911
1995 – – 43 #1,975
1990 – – 62 #1,428
1985 – – 39 #1,633
1980 – – 65 #1,129
1975 – – 50 #1,201
1970 – – 72 #948
1965 – – 79 #830
1960 – – 71 #902
1955 – – 103 #722
1950 – – 134 #587
1945 – – 121 #545
1940 – – 127 #515
1935 – – 89 #625
1930 – – 143 #500
1925 – – 116 #582
1920 – – 169 #469
1915 – – 151 #446
1910 – – 46 #388
1905 – – 44 #305
1900 – – 51 #291
1895 – – 34 #311
1890 – – 27 #340
1885 – – 37 #275
1880 – – 28 #324

Famous people named Major

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

  1. 1 Major Ritchie Major Ritchie English tennis player (1870–1955) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Major?

The median living Major is about 10 years old. Half of all living Majors are between 6 and 21 years old.

How many people named Major are alive today?

An estimated 16 thousand people named Major are alive in the United States, based on 21,749 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Major mean?

Major is an English-language given name, which often causes confusion with the military rank of the same name.

How popular is the name Major in 2025?

Major ranked #670 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 407 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Major?

21,749 babies have been named Major in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Major most popular?

Major peaked in 2017, when 1,050 newborns received the name.

Is Major a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Major rising or falling?

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

Will Major become more popular?

Major is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 280 boys named Major 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 Major?

Well-known people named Major include Major Ritchie (tennis player).

Names like Major

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

Compare Major with similar names → More names starting with M →