boys' name ★ peaked 1918

Morris

Meaning A male given name Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #1,762 Trend → Stable

A male given name. A male given name from Old French, a medieval form of French Maurice.

Rank 2025
#1,762
among boys · ↑110 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
92
named Morris · +7% vs 2024
How common
1 in 18,566
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1918
1,690 babies
All-time total
71,483
#400 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Morris popularity over time

71,483 babies have been named Morris 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 – 895 895 90 – #126
1890s – 1,234 1,234 123 +38% #113
1900s – 2,059 2,059 206 +67% #94
1910s 65 12,484 12,549 1,255 +509% #82
1920s 106 14,141 14,247 1,425 +14% #104
1930s 89 9,113 9,202 920 -35% #152
1940s 79 8,805 8,884 888 -3% #170
1950s 67 8,323 8,390 839 -6% #211
1960s 38 5,355 5,393 539 -36% #301
1970s 15 2,792 2,807 281 -48% #408
1980s 24 1,956 1,980 198 -29% #576
1990s – 1,287 1,287 129 -35% #754
2000s – 996 996 100 -23% #1,270
2010s – 1,000 1,000 100 0% #1,463
2020s (to 2025) – 560 560 93 -7% #1,630

Where Morris 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 91 0.05 outside top 500
2027 91 0.05 outside top 500
2028 90 0.05 outside top 500
2029 90 0.05 outside top 500
2030 90 0.05 outside top 500

Where Morris is most popular

Boys named Morris per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.053 per 1,000. Strongest in New York, Pennsylvania, 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 Morris 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
New York 102 0.236 +341%
Pennsylvania 16 0.060 +13%
New Jersey 12 0.060 +12%
South Carolina 5 0.048 -9%
California 38 0.042 -22%
Michigan 5 0.024 -54%
Illinois 6 0.023 -56%
Texas 20 0.023 -57%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Florida – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
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 Morris

Morris is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,762 in 2025 with 92 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 71,483 American babies have been named Morris. Its peak came in 1918, when 1,690 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1910s.

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 Morris stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Morris?

The median living Morris is about 65 years old; half are between 48 and 75. An estimated 25 thousand people named Morris are alive in the United States today.

median 65 020406080100

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

Morris 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 – – 92 #1,762
2024 – – 86 #1,872
2023 – – 105 #1,645
2022 – – 91 #1,799
2021 – – 87 #1,811
2020 – – 99 #1,630
2019 – – 96 #1,671
2018 – – 107 #1,574
2017 – – 105 #1,566
2016 – – 103 #1,596
2015 – – 105 #1,550
2014 – – 112 #1,463
2013 – – 94 #1,630
2012 – – 94 #1,652
2011 – – 86 #1,727
2010 – – 98 #1,607
2009 – – 121 #1,407
2008 – – 109 #1,502
2007 – – 109 #1,472
2006 – – 93 #1,578
2005 – – 80 #1,686
2004 – – 93 #1,475
2003 – – 112 #1,274
2002 – – 94 #1,403
2001 – – 82 #1,497
2000 – – 103 #1,270
1995 – – 113 #1,058
1990 – – 178 #763
1985 8 #8,051 203 #613
1980 8 #7,877 196 #624
1975 – – 240 #520
1970 5 #8,878 399 #408
1965 – – 519 #331
1960 13 #3,633 657 #304
1955 7 #5,052 830 #244
1950 10 #3,599 918 #211
1945 10 #3,065 775 #193
1940 8 #3,426 912 #170
1935 13 #2,401 908 #159
1930 9 #3,253 1,006 #152
1925 10 #3,293 1,400 #126
1920 13 #2,689 1,609 #108
1915 9 #3,059 1,660 #93
1910 – – 367 #91
1905 – – 188 #115
1900 – – 162 #136
1895 – – 125 #132
1890 – – 93 #152
1885 – – 99 #136
1880 – – 77 #172

Famous people named Morris

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

  1. 1 Morris Chestnut Morris Chestnut American actor (born 1969) Contemporary
  2. 2 Morris Morris Belgian comics artist 1923–2001 · Contemporary
  3. 3 Morris West Morris West Australian novelist and playwright 1916–1999 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Morris Swadesh Morris Swadesh American linguist (1909–1967) Contemporary
  5. 5 Morris Travers Morris Travers English chemist (1872–1961) 19th century
  6. 6 Morris Halle Morris Halle Latvian-American linguist (1923–2018) Contemporary
  7. 7 Morris Kirksey Morris Kirksey Athletics and US international rugby union player 1895–1981 · 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Morris?

The median living Morris is about 65 years old. Half of all living Morriss are between 48 and 75 years old.

How many people named Morris are alive today?

An estimated 25 thousand people named Morris are alive in the United States, based on 71,483 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Morris mean?

A male given name. A male given name from Old French, a medieval form of French Maurice.

How popular is the name Morris in 2025?

Morris ranked #1,762 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 92 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Morris?

71,483 babies have been named Morris in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Morris most popular?

Morris peaked in 1918, when 1,690 newborns received the name.

Is Morris a boy or girl name?

Morris is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Morris rising or falling?

Morris has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Morris become more popular?

Morris looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 90 boys named Morris in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Morris?

Well-known people named Morris include Morris Chestnut (actor), Morris (comic artist), Morris West (writer).

Names like Morris

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

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