boys' name ★ peaked 2015

Porter

Meaning Porter is an English surname and also a given name Gender Boy · 5% girls Rank 2025 #560 Trend ↓ Falling 20%

Porter is an English surname and also a given name.

Rank 2025
#560
among boys · ↑58 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
599
named Porter · +11% vs 2024
How common
1 in 3,217
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2015
921 babies
All-time total
21,801
#824 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Porter popularity over time

21,801 babies have been named Porter 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
0.130.250.380.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 274 274 27 – #275
1890s – 269 269 27 -2% #316
1900s – 277 277 28 +3% #346
1910s 7 896 903 90 +226% #437
1920s – 982 982 98 +9% #571
1930s – 655 655 66 -33% #707
1940s – 559 559 56 -15% #752
1950s – 473 473 47 -15% #944
1960s 6 333 339 34 -28% #1,211
1970s – 241 241 24 -29% #1,517
1980s – 257 257 26 +7% #1,805
1990s 31 720 751 75 +192% #862
2000s 122 4,017 4,139 414 +451% #474
2010s 409 7,258 7,667 767 +85% #368
2020s (to 2025) 418 3,597 4,015 669 -13% #424

Where Porter 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 511 0.30 outside top 500
2027 495 0.29 outside top 500
2028 481 0.28 outside top 500
2029 470 0.28 outside top 500
2030 461 0.27 outside top 500

Where Porter is most popular

Boys named Porter per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.335 per 1,000. Strongest in North Dakota, Utah, and South Dakota.

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 Porter 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
North Dakota 34 1.99 +495%
Utah 133 1.39 +316%
South Dakota 21 1.13 +237%
Idaho 40 0.977 +192%
Montana 16 0.907 +171%
Kansas 57 0.831 +148%
Maine 16 0.825 +146%
Arkansas 51 0.806 +141%
Wisconsin 90 0.760 +127%
Tennessee 134 0.742 +122%
West Virginia 24 0.735 +120%
Missouri 101 0.729 +118%
Minnesota 81 0.660 +97%
Oklahoma 56 0.633 +89%
Kentucky 62 0.618 +85%
Colorado 79 0.612 +83%
Nebraska 26 0.598 +79%
South Carolina 60 0.581 +74%
Alabama 62 0.567 +69%
Indiana 89 0.555 +66%
Iowa 38 0.551 +65%
Mississippi 29 0.510 +53%
North Carolina 129 0.505 +51%
Louisiana 51 0.499 +49%
Michigan 94 0.459 +37%
Ohio 117 0.441 +32%
Washington 72 0.440 +32%
Oregon 30 0.395 +18%
Arizona 61 0.373 +11%
Georgia 84 0.332 ≈ national
Virginia 61 0.321 ≈ national
Pennsylvania 85 0.320 ≈ national
Illinois 75 0.293 -12%
Texas 239 0.271 -19%
New Hampshire 5 0.225 -33%
Florida 90 0.190 -43%
Massachusetts 25 0.182 -46%
California 164 0.179 -46%
Maryland 20 0.168 -50%
New Mexico 5 0.152 -55%
New York 48 0.111 -67%
New Jersey 5 0.025 -93%
Alaska – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Porter

Porter is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #560 in 2025 with 531 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 21,801 American babies have been named Porter. Its peak came in 2015, when 921 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 Porter stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Porter?

The median living Porter is about 12 years old; half are between 6 and 19. An estimated 18 thousand people named Porter are alive in the United States today.

median 12 020406080100

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

Porter 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 68 #2,578 531 #560
2024 74 #2,454 464 #618
2023 71 #2,511 605 #500
2022 81 #2,312 592 #506
2021 66 #2,634 698 #443
2020 58 #2,846 707 #424
2019 55 #2,987 613 #478
2018 48 #3,334 749 #419
2017 46 #3,427 802 #399
2016 56 #3,004 749 #419
2015 59 #2,960 862 #377
2014 40 #3,831 857 #368
2013 28 #4,995 778 #384
2012 33 #4,463 644 #430
2011 27 #5,170 602 #450
2010 17 #7,433 602 #447
2009 14 #8,779 578 #474
2008 20 #6,752 574 #483
2007 13 #9,417 566 #474
2006 12 #9,764 553 #479
2005 15 #7,818 405 #576
2004 8 #12,462 336 #631
2003 6 #15,288 314 #646
2002 11 #9,332 265 #687
2001 16 #6,894 225 #765
2000 7 #12,812 201 #803
1995 7 #11,440 65 #1,488
1990 – – 36 #2,074
1985 – – 31 #1,907
1980 – – 19 #2,596
1975 – – 23 #2,048
1970 – – 30 #1,571
1965 – – 37 #1,266
1960 – – 29 #1,516
1955 – – 61 #964
1950 – – 54 #944
1945 – – 40 #1,014
1940 – – 61 #798
1935 – – 51 #891
1930 – – 78 #707
1925 – – 102 #625
1920 – – 120 #571
1915 – – 103 #556
1910 – – 40 #437
1905 – – 35 #354
1900 – – 25 #465
1895 – – 25 #388
1890 – – 26 #349
1885 – – 36 #281
1880 – – 38 #275

Famous people named Porter

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

  1. 1 Porter Wagoner Porter Wagoner American country singer (1927–2007) Contemporary
  2. 2 Porter Robinson Porter Robinson American electronic musician (born 1992) Contemporary
  3. 3 Porter Goss Porter Goss American politician (born 1938) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Porter?

The median living Porter is about 12 years old. Half of all living Porters are between 6 and 19 years old.

How many people named Porter are alive today?

An estimated 18 thousand people named Porter are alive in the United States, based on 21,801 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Porter mean?

Porter is an English surname and also a given name.

How popular is the name Porter in 2025?

Porter ranked #560 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 531 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Porter?

21,801 babies have been named Porter in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Porter most popular?

Porter peaked in 2015, when 921 newborns received the name.

Is Porter a boy or girl name?

Porter is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 95% of babies with the name.

Is the name Porter rising or falling?

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

Will Porter become more popular?

Porter is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 461 boys named Porter 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 Porter?

Well-known people named Porter include Porter Wagoner (singer), Porter Robinson (musician), Porter Goss (politician).

Names like Porter

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

Compare Porter with similar names → More names starting with P →