boys' name ★ peaked 1928

Norman

Meaning Norman is both a surname and a given name Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #1,200 Trend → Stable

Norman is both a surname and a given name.

Rank 2025
#1,200
among boys · ↑111 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
169
named Norman · +13% vs 2024
How common
1 in 10,107
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1928
5,637 babies
All-time total
254,762
#152 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Norman popularity over time

254,762 babies have been named Norman 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
1.883.755.637.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 1,235 1,235 124 – #97
1890s 11 1,891 1,902 190 +54% #83
1900s 21 3,178 3,199 320 +68% #71
1910s 151 25,033 25,184 2,518 +687% #46
1920s 401 49,364 49,765 4,977 +98% #39
1930s 304 49,987 50,291 5,029 +1% #36
1940s 193 42,164 42,357 4,236 -16% #48
1950s 179 33,749 33,928 3,393 -20% #90
1960s 179 22,753 22,932 2,293 -32% #130
1970s 115 9,885 10,000 1,000 -56% #181
1980s 48 5,853 5,901 590 -41% #286
1990s – 3,439 3,439 344 -42% #429
2000s – 2,071 2,071 207 -40% #663
2010s – 1,590 1,590 159 -23% #1,078
2020s (to 2025) – 968 968 161 +1% #1,128

Where Norman 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 169 0.10 outside top 500
2027 170 0.10 outside top 500
2028 170 0.10 outside top 500
2029 170 0.10 outside top 500
2030 170 0.10 outside top 500

Where Norman is most popular

Boys named Norman per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.092 per 1,000. Strongest in Montana, South Dakota, and Ohio.

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 Norman 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
Montana 5 0.284 +208%
South Dakota 5 0.269 +192%
Ohio 57 0.215 +134%
Michigan 44 0.215 +134%
Pennsylvania 55 0.207 +125%
Minnesota 25 0.204 +122%
Wisconsin 22 0.186 +102%
Missouri 14 0.101 +10%
Illinois 24 0.094 ≈ national
New York 38 0.088 -5%
Colorado 10 0.077 -16%
Washington 12 0.073 -20%
Iowa 5 0.073 -21%
North Carolina 17 0.067 -28%
Texas 57 0.065 -30%
Kentucky 6 0.060 -35%
California 54 0.059 -36%
Georgia 12 0.047 -48%
Maryland 5 0.042 -54%
Florida 19 0.040 -56%
New Jersey 8 0.040 -57%
Indiana 5 0.031 -66%
Virginia 5 0.026 -71%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
Tennessee – – –
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 Norman

Norman is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,200 in 2025 with 169 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 254,762 American babies have been named Norman. Its peak came in 1928, when 5,637 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 Norman stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Norman?

The median living Norman is about 68 years old; half are between 57 and 78. An estimated 97 thousand people named Norman are alive in the United States today.

median 68 020406080100

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

Norman 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 – – 169 #1,200
2024 – – 149 #1,311
2023 – – 138 #1,364
2022 – – 168 #1,195
2021 – – 170 #1,167
2020 – – 174 #1,128
2019 – – 160 #1,199
2018 – – 156 #1,205
2017 – – 172 #1,119
2016 – – 183 #1,078
2015 – – 148 #1,237
2014 – – 174 #1,098
2013 – – 160 #1,138
2012 – – 160 #1,149
2011 – – 130 #1,314
2010 – – 147 #1,212
2009 – – 164 #1,129
2008 – – 196 #1,000
2007 – – 192 #1,009
2006 – – 182 #1,014
2005 – – 197 #906
2004 – – 211 #845
2003 – – 220 #796
2002 – – 210 #810
2001 – – 228 #756
2000 – – 271 #663
1995 – – 279 #617
1990 – – 444 #470
1985 9 #7,381 574 #334
1980 7 #8,783 725 #286
1975 9 #6,298 849 #241
1970 13 #4,414 1,522 #181
1965 19 #2,897 2,302 #134
1960 24 #2,490 2,700 #132
1955 27 #2,093 3,411 #102
1950 23 #2,037 3,641 #90
1945 16 #2,215 3,726 #65
1940 25 #1,579 4,576 #48
1935 19 #1,827 5,043 #38
1930 41 #1,175 5,289 #40
1925 37 #1,317 4,975 #41
1920 33 #1,396 4,109 #47
1915 20 #1,726 3,262 #50
1910 – – 557 #63
1905 5 #2,152 350 #71
1900 5 #2,141 316 #83
1895 – – 211 #91
1890 – – 156 #108
1885 – – 118 #116
1880 – – 102 #133

Famous people named Norman

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

  1. 1 Norman Reedus Norman Reedus American actor (born 1969) Contemporary
  2. 2 Norman Finkelstein Norman Finkelstein American political scientist (born 1953) Contemporary
  3. 3 Norman Rockwell Norman Rockwell American painter and illustrator (1894–1978) 19th century
  4. 4 Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. United States Army general (1934–2012) Contemporary
  5. 5 Norman Mailer Norman Mailer American writer (1923–2007) Contemporary
  6. 6 Norman Borlaug Norman Borlaug American agronomist and Nobel Laureate (1914–2009) Contemporary
  7. 7 Norman Lloyd Norman Lloyd American actor, producer and director (1914–2021) Contemporary
  8. 8 Norman Jewison Norman Jewison Canadian filmmaker (1926–2024) Contemporary
  9. 9 Norman Vincent Peale Norman Vincent Peale American minister, author, and positive thinking proponent (1898-1993) 19th century
  10. 10 Norman Greenbaum Norman Greenbaum American singer-songwriter (born 1942) Contemporary
  11. 11 Norman Wisdom Norman Wisdom English actor, comedian and singer (1915–2010) Contemporary
  12. 12 Norman Bethune Norman Bethune Canadian physician (1890–1939) 19th century
  13. 13 Norman Hunter Norman Hunter English footballer (1943–2020) Contemporary
  14. 14 Norman Mineta Norman Mineta American politician (1931–2022) Contemporary
  15. 15 Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank English architect (born 1935) Contemporary
  16. 16 Norman Davies Norman Davies British historian (born 1939) Contemporary
  17. 17 Norman Bel Geddes Norman Bel Geddes American theatrical and industrial designer (1893–1958) 19th century
  18. 18 Norman Foster Norman Foster American film director and actor (1903–1976) Contemporary
  19. 19 Norman McLaren Norman McLaren Scottish Canadian animator (1914–1987) Contemporary
  20. 20 Norman Smith Norman Smith British recording engineer, producer (1923–2008) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Norman?

The median living Norman is about 68 years old. Half of all living Normans are between 57 and 78 years old.

How many people named Norman are alive today?

An estimated 97 thousand people named Norman are alive in the United States, based on 254,762 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Norman mean?

Norman is both a surname and a given name.

How popular is the name Norman in 2025?

Norman ranked #1,200 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 169 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Norman?

254,762 babies have been named Norman in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Norman most popular?

Norman peaked in 1928, when 5,637 newborns received the name.

Is Norman a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Norman rising or falling?

Norman has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Norman become more popular?

Norman looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 170 boys named Norman in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Norman?

Well-known people named Norman include Norman Reedus (actor), Norman Finkelstein (political scientist), Norman Rockwell (painter).

Names like Norman

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

Compare Norman with similar names → More names starting with N →