boys' name ★ peaked 1945

Truman

Meaning Truman is a given name Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,553 Trend ↓ Falling 30%

Truman is a given name. Notable people with the name include:Truman H.

Rank 2025
#1,553
among boys · ↑265 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
111
named Truman · +23% vs 2024
How common
1 in 15,388
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1945
540 babies
All-time total
15,973
#940 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Truman popularity over time

15,973 babies have been named Truman 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 – 155 155 16 – #380
1890s – 167 167 17 +8% #376
1900s 5 276 281 28 +68% #350
1910s 5 1,590 1,595 160 +468% #342
1920s 16 2,334 2,350 235 +47% #369
1930s – 1,891 1,891 189 -20% #385
1940s – 2,302 2,302 230 +22% #248
1950s – 672 672 67 -71% #636
1960s – 571 571 57 -15% #909
1970s – 490 490 49 -14% #932
1980s – 386 386 39 -21% #1,351
1990s – 805 805 81 +109% #1,122
2000s – 1,662 1,662 166 +106% #961
2010s – 1,928 1,928 193 +16% #931
2020s (to 2025) – 718 718 120 -38% #1,254

Where Truman 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 105 0.06 outside top 500
2027 100 0.06 outside top 500
2028 96 0.06 outside top 500
2029 93 0.05 outside top 500
2030 90 0.05 outside top 500

Where Truman is most popular

Boys named Truman per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.066 per 1,000. Strongest in Utah, Missouri, and Iowa.

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 Truman 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
Utah 37 0.388 +487%
Missouri 43 0.310 +370%
Iowa 15 0.218 +230%
Kansas 12 0.175 +165%
Kentucky 13 0.130 +96%
Ohio 21 0.079 +20%
Alabama 7 0.064 ≈ national
Texas 55 0.062 -5%
Washington 10 0.061 -7%
Minnesota 5 0.041 -38%
Indiana 6 0.037 -43%
Michigan 6 0.029 -56%
Tennessee 5 0.028 -58%
California 18 0.020 -70%
Illinois 5 0.020 -70%
Florida 6 0.013 -81%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
New York – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Truman

Truman is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,553 in 2025 with 111 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 15,973 American babies have been named Truman. Its peak came in 1945, when 540 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1940s.

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

How old are people named Truman?

The median living Truman is about 25 years old; half are between 13 and 63. An estimated 8,300 people named Truman are alive in the United States today.

median 25 020406080100

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

Truman 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 – – 111 #1,553
2024 – – 90 #1,818
2023 – – 114 #1,546
2022 – – 125 #1,454
2021 – – 130 #1,417
2020 – – 148 #1,254
2019 – – 152 #1,242
2018 – – 165 #1,166
2017 – – 175 #1,109
2016 – – 193 #1,034
2015 – – 213 #973
2014 – – 221 #957
2013 – – 209 #961
2012 – – 220 #931
2011 – – 183 #1,040
2010 – – 197 #996
2009 – – 174 #1,073
2008 – – 176 #1,068
2007 – – 202 #976
2006 – – 194 #961
2005 – – 167 #1,017
2004 – – 175 #962
2003 – – 159 #997
2002 – – 140 #1,078
2001 – – 130 #1,099
2000 – – 145 #1,014
1995 – – 78 #1,335
1990 – – 50 #1,660
1985 – – 52 #1,351
1980 – – 37 #1,616
1975 – – 38 #1,448
1970 – – 57 #1,091
1965 – – 66 #919
1960 – – 70 #909
1955 – – 64 #940
1950 – – 119 #636
1945 – – 540 #248
1940 – – 210 #395
1935 – – 198 #387
1930 – – 202 #413
1925 5 #5,702 260 #369
1920 – – 262 #371
1915 – – 202 #378
1910 – – 39 #445
1905 – – 30 #392
1900 – – 25 #468
1895 – – 15 #555
1890 – – 18 #432
1885 – – 17 #459
1880 – – 12 #565

Famous people named Truman

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

  1. 1 Truman Capote Truman Capote American writer (1924–1984) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Truman?

The median living Truman is about 25 years old. Half of all living Trumans are between 13 and 63 years old.

How many people named Truman are alive today?

An estimated 8,300 people named Truman are alive in the United States, based on 15,973 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Truman mean?

Truman is a given name. Notable people with the name include:Truman H.

How popular is the name Truman in 2025?

Truman ranked #1,553 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 111 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Truman?

15,973 babies have been named Truman in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Truman most popular?

Truman peaked in 1945, when 540 newborns received the name.

Is Truman a boy or girl name?

Truman is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Truman rising or falling?

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

Will Truman become more popular?

Truman is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 90 boys named Truman 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 Truman?

Well-known people named Truman include Truman Capote (writer).

Names like Truman

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

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