Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 2014

Temperance

Meaning From temperance Gender Girl Rank 2025 #2,034 Trend ↓ Falling 37%

From temperance. A virtue name first used by Puritans in the 16th century.

Rank 2025
#2,034
among girls · ↑64 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
94
named Temperance · +2% vs 2024
How common
1 in 17,099
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2014
324 babies
All-time total
3,709
#3,136 all-time among girls
First recorded
1916
in Social Security records

Temperance popularity over time

3,709 babies have been named Temperance since 1916, 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
0.050.10.150.218801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2012Girls

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 Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s 5 1 – #5,079
1920s – – – –
1930s – – – –
1940s – – – –
1950s – – – –
1960s – – – –
1970s 64 6 – #5,394
1980s 73 7 +14% #6,750
1990s 89 9 +22% #6,443
2000s 378 38 +325% #1,424
2010s 2,419 242 +540% #836
2020s (to 2025) 681 114 -53% #1,467

Where Temperance is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (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 girls Implied rank
2026 88 0.05 outside top 500
2027 82 0.05 outside top 500
2028 78 0.05 outside top 500
2029 75 0.05 outside top 500
2030 72 0.04 outside top 500

Where Temperance is most popular

Girls named Temperance per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.066 per 1,000. Strongest in Indiana, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Temperance 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 Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Indiana 23 0.164 +149%
Wisconsin 16 0.155 +136%
Oklahoma 11 0.149 +127%
Missouri 16 0.133 +102%
Michigan 23 0.126 +92%
Ohio 29 0.122 +86%
Kentucky 5 0.058 -11%
North Carolina 11 0.048 -27%
Pennsylvania 11 0.047 -29%
Tennessee 7 0.044 -33%
Texas 33 0.041 -38%
Washington 5 0.035 -47%
Virginia 5 0.029 -55%
Florida 12 0.028 -57%
New York 11 0.028 -58%
Georgia 5 0.022 -67%
California 17 0.020 -69%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Kansas – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
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 Temperance

Temperance is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #2,034 in 2025 with 94 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1916, 3,709 American babies have been named Temperance. Its peak came in 2014, when 324 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 Temperance stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Temperance?

The median living Temperance is about 11 years old; half are between 7 and 14. An estimated 3,700 people named Temperance are alive in the United States today.

median 11 020406080100

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

Temperance year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank
2025 94 #2,034
2024 92 #2,098
2023 100 #1,982
2022 125 #1,683
2021 123 #1,695
2020 147 #1,467
2019 156 #1,435
2018 164 #1,376
2017 190 #1,250
2016 235 #1,096
2015 251 #1,053
2014 324 #851
2013 289 #891
2012 321 #836
2011 274 #944
2010 215 #1,142
2009 165 #1,424
2008 88 #2,251
2007 78 #2,432
2006 20 #6,575
2005 8 #12,911
2004 6 #15,927
2003 – –
2002 5 #17,875
2001 8 #11,961
2000 – –
1995 10 #8,699
1990 14 #6,443
1985 6 #10,571
1980 8 #8,107
1975 6 #8,950
1970 – –
1965 – –
1960 – –
1955 – –
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Temperance?

The median living Temperance is about 11 years old. Half of all living Temperances are between 7 and 14 years old.

How many people named Temperance are alive today?

An estimated 3,700 people named Temperance are alive in the United States, based on 3,709 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Temperance mean?

From temperance. A virtue name first used by Puritans in the 16th century.

How popular is the name Temperance in 2025?

Temperance ranked #2,034 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 94 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Temperance?

3,709 babies have been named Temperance in the United States since 1916, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Temperance most popular?

Temperance peaked in 2014, when 324 newborns received the name.

Is Temperance a boy or girl name?

Temperance is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Temperance rising or falling?

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

Will Temperance become more popular?

Temperance is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 72 girls named Temperance in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Temperance

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

Compare Temperance with similar names → More names starting with T →