boys' name ★ peaked 1921

Maurice

Meaning Moor; dark, swarthy Gender Boy · 2% girls Rank 2025 #1,020 Trend ↓ Falling 26%

From Middle English Maurice, from Late Latin Mauritius, derived from Maurus (“Moor; dark, swarthy”).

Rank 2025
#1,020
among boys · ↓88 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
220
named Maurice · -11% vs 2024
How common
1 in 7,764
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1921
1,797 babies
All-time total
138,943
#247 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Maurice popularity over time

138,943 babies have been named Maurice 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
0.631.251.882.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 961 961 96 – #126
1890s 5 1,270 1,275 128 +33% #112
1900s 65 1,980 2,045 205 +60% #102
1910s 393 11,429 11,822 1,182 +478% #94
1920s 593 16,161 16,754 1,675 +42% #101
1930s 347 12,638 12,985 1,299 -22% #116
1940s 252 10,477 10,729 1,073 -17% #161
1950s 230 12,584 12,814 1,281 +19% #185
1960s 227 14,643 14,870 1,487 +16% #173
1970s 252 15,233 15,485 1,549 +4% #157
1980s 202 15,575 15,777 1,578 +2% #162
1990s 45 10,087 10,132 1,013 -36% #206
2000s – 7,178 7,178 718 -29% #345
2010s – 4,640 4,640 464 -35% #448
2020s (to 2025) – 1,476 1,476 246 -47% #830

Where Maurice 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 208 0.12 outside top 500
2027 199 0.12 outside top 500
2028 192 0.11 outside top 500
2029 185 0.11 outside top 500
2030 180 0.11 outside top 500

Where Maurice is most popular

Boys named Maurice per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.140 per 1,000. Strongest in Mississippi, Michigan, and Indiana.

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 Maurice 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 18 0.317 +127%
Michigan 61 0.298 +113%
Indiana 41 0.256 +83%
Georgia 64 0.253 +81%
Ohio 64 0.241 +73%
Pennsylvania 61 0.230 +65%
Florida 98 0.207 +48%
Virginia 38 0.200 +44%
North Carolina 51 0.200 +43%
Alabama 20 0.183 +31%
New York 74 0.171 +23%
Maryland 20 0.168 +20%
Missouri 23 0.166 +19%
Illinois 39 0.153 +9%
South Carolina 15 0.145 ≈ national
Louisiana 13 0.127 -9%
Wisconsin 13 0.110 -21%
Tennessee 19 0.105 -25%
New Jersey 20 0.099 -29%
California 85 0.093 -33%
Texas 79 0.090 -36%
Kansas 5 0.073 -48%
Kentucky 5 0.050 -64%
Minnesota 6 0.049 -65%
Massachusetts 6 0.044 -69%
Washington 6 0.037 -74%
Arizona 5 0.031 -78%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
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 Maurice

Maurice is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,020 in 2025 with 220 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 138,943 American babies have been named Maurice. Its peak came in 1921, when 1,797 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 Maurice stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Maurice?

The median living Maurice is about 47 years old; half are between 34 and 63. An estimated 82 thousand people named Maurice are alive in the United States today.

median 47 020406080100

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

Maurice 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 – – 220 #1,020
2024 – – 248 #932
2023 – – 226 #973
2022 – – 224 #996
2021 – – 287 #830
2020 – – 271 #844
2019 – – 329 #732
2018 – – 377 #670
2017 – – 396 #651
2016 – – 406 #651
2015 – – 435 #617
2014 – – 482 #580
2013 – – 505 #526
2012 – – 531 #502
2011 – – 579 #464
2010 – – 600 #448
2009 – – 638 #439
2008 – – 733 #402
2007 – – 707 #415
2006 – – 761 #394
2005 – – 661 #411
2004 – – 712 #384
2003 – – 757 #358
2002 – – 697 #377
2001 – – 717 #372
2000 – – 795 #345
1995 5 #14,903 888 #300
1990 13 #6,722 1,488 #206
1985 25 #3,477 1,559 #173
1980 26 #3,280 1,556 #162
1975 18 #3,715 1,384 #169
1970 29 #2,557 1,740 #165
1965 21 #2,725 1,417 #181
1960 24 #2,487 1,321 #212
1955 16 #2,914 1,221 #206
1950 22 #2,100 1,197 #185
1945 20 #1,924 913 #177
1940 34 #1,286 1,030 #161
1935 28 #1,407 1,234 #130
1930 48 #1,069 1,550 #116
1925 59 #973 1,586 #111
1920 62 #928 1,708 #102
1915 61 #837 1,440 #101
1910 5 #2,657 283 #110
1905 12 #1,142 202 #106
1900 – – 193 #119
1895 – – 136 #123
1890 – – 102 #140
1885 – – 96 #143
1880 – – 93 #146

Famous people named Maurice

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

  1. 1 Maurice Gibb Maurice Gibb British musician (1949–2003) Contemporary
  2. 2 Maurice Ravel Maurice Ravel French composer (1875–1937) 19th century
  3. 3 Maurice Chevalier Maurice Chevalier French singer, actor, and entertainer (1888–1972) 19th century
  4. 4 Maurice Maurice Roman emperor from 582 to 602 539–602 · Medieval
  5. 5 Maurice Jarre Maurice Jarre French composer (1924–2009) Contemporary
  6. 6 Maurice Merleau-Ponty Maurice Merleau-Ponty French phenomenological philosopher (1908–1961) Contemporary
  7. 7 Maurice, Prince of Orange Maurice, Prince of Orange Dutch Republic stadtholder and Prince of Orange (1567–1625) 16th century
  8. 8 Maurice Gamelin Maurice Gamelin French general (1872–1958) 19th century
  9. 9 Maurice Wilkins Maurice Wilkins New Zealand-born British biophysicist (1916–2004) Contemporary
  10. 10 Maurice Ronet Maurice Ronet French actor (1927–1983) Contemporary
  11. 11 Maurice Leblanc Maurice Leblanc French writer (1864–1941) 19th century
  12. 12 Maurice Bucaille Maurice Bucaille French scientist, physician and author (1920–1998) Contemporary
  13. 13 Maurice Maeterlinck Maurice Maeterlinck Belgian playwright and essayist (1862–1949) 19th century
  14. 14 Maurice de Saxe Maurice de Saxe Count of Saxony (1696–1750) 17th century
  15. 15 Maurice Utrillo Maurice Utrillo French painter (1883–1955) 19th century
  16. 16 Maurice Blanchot Maurice Blanchot French writer (1907–2003) Contemporary
  17. 17 Maurice Thorez Maurice Thorez Former leader of the French Communist Party (1900–1964) Contemporary
  18. 18 Maurice Garin Maurice Garin French cyclist (1871–1957) 19th century
  19. 19 Maurice Benyovszky Maurice Benyovszky Hungarian traveller and writer (1746–1786) 18th century
  20. 20 Maurice Druon Maurice Druon French writer and scholar (1918–2009) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Maurice?

The median living Maurice is about 47 years old. Half of all living Maurices are between 34 and 63 years old.

How many people named Maurice are alive today?

An estimated 82 thousand people named Maurice are alive in the United States, based on 138,943 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Maurice mean?

From Middle English Maurice, from Late Latin Mauritius, derived from Maurus (“Moor; dark, swarthy”).

How popular is the name Maurice in 2025?

Maurice ranked #1,020 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 220 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Maurice?

138,943 babies have been named Maurice in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Maurice most popular?

Maurice peaked in 1921, when 1,797 newborns received the name.

Is Maurice a boy or girl name?

Maurice is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 98% of babies with the name.

Is the name Maurice rising or falling?

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

Will Maurice become more popular?

Maurice is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 180 boys named Maurice 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 Maurice?

Well-known people named Maurice include Maurice Gibb (musician), Maurice Ravel (composer), Maurice Chevalier (actor).

Names like Maurice

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

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