boys' name ★ peaked 1918

Woodrow

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,653 Trend ↑ Rising 18%

A male given name transferred from the surname, given in the 1910s in honor of President Woodrow Wilson.

Rank 2025
#1,653
among boys · ↑47 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
102
named Woodrow · +3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 16,746
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1918
3,372 babies
All-time total
39,246
#583 all-time among boys
First recorded
1900
in Social Security records

Woodrow popularity over time

39,246 babies have been named Woodrow since 1900, 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
1.252.53.75518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – 72 72 7 – #544
1910s 86 18,355 18,441 1,844 +25512% #44
1920s 30 4,542 4,572 457 -75% #183
1930s 12 2,920 2,932 293 -36% #264
1940s 5 4,761 4,766 477 +63% #251
1950s 6 2,808 2,814 281 -41% #361
1960s – 1,785 1,785 179 -37% #541
1970s – 1,149 1,149 115 -36% #684
1980s – 742 742 74 -35% #923
1990s – 557 557 56 -25% #1,350
2000s – 284 284 28 -49% #2,777
2010s – 576 576 58 +103% #1,870
2020s (to 2025) – 556 556 93 +61% #1,653

Where Woodrow 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 108 0.06 outside top 500
2028 111 0.06 outside top 500
2029 113 0.07 outside top 500
2030 115 0.07 outside top 500

Where Woodrow is most popular

Boys named Woodrow per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.054 per 1,000. Strongest in Idaho, Oklahoma, and Missouri.

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 Woodrow 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
Idaho 5 0.122 +127%
Oklahoma 10 0.113 +110%
Missouri 11 0.079 +47%
Tennessee 10 0.055 ≈ national
Utah 5 0.052 ≈ national
Alabama 5 0.046 -15%
California 41 0.045 -17%
Texas 37 0.042 -22%
Washington 5 0.031 -43%
Michigan 5 0.024 -55%
North Carolina 6 0.023 -56%
Georgia 5 0.020 -63%
Ohio 5 0.019 -65%
Florida 6 0.013 -76%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
New York – – –
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 Woodrow

Woodrow is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,653 in 2025 with 102 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1900, 39,246 American babies have been named Woodrow. Its peak came in 1918, when 3,372 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 Woodrow stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Woodrow?

The median living Woodrow is about 65 years old; half are between 44 and 77. An estimated 10 thousand people named Woodrow 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.

Woodrow 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 – – 102 #1,653
2024 – – 99 #1,700
2023 – – 84 #1,894
2022 – – 88 #1,837
2021 – – 92 #1,762
2020 – – 91 #1,715
2019 – – 78 #1,915
2018 – – 81 #1,870
2017 – – 73 #1,975
2016 – – 77 #1,919
2015 – – 59 #2,273
2014 – – 57 #2,315
2013 – – 33 #3,335
2012 – – 35 #3,227
2011 – – 39 #2,998
2010 – – 44 #2,785
2009 – – 29 #3,718
2008 – – 33 #3,416
2007 – – 27 #3,888
2006 – – 19 #4,854
2005 – – 32 #3,239
2004 – – 29 #3,367
2003 – – 36 #2,777
2002 – – 32 #2,940
2001 – – 24 #3,614
2000 – – 23 #3,634
1995 – – 39 #2,138
1990 – – 68 #1,360
1985 – – 64 #1,180
1980 – – 94 #923
1975 – – 100 #836
1970 – – 147 #684
1965 – – 168 #588
1960 – – 208 #546
1955 – – 283 #439
1950 – – 334 #371
1945 – – 503 #261
1940 5 #5,014 443 #268
1935 – – 272 #330
1930 – – 212 #397
1925 – – 375 #296
1920 5 #5,751 774 #183
1915 8 #3,427 1,966 #83
1910 – – 45 #395
1905 – – – –
1900 – – 8 #1,046
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Woodrow

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

  1. 1 Woodrow Wilson Woodrow Wilson President of the United States from 1913 to 1921 1856–1924 · 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Woodrow?

The median living Woodrow is about 65 years old. Half of all living Woodrows are between 44 and 77 years old.

How many people named Woodrow are alive today?

An estimated 10 thousand people named Woodrow are alive in the United States, based on 39,246 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Woodrow mean?

A male given name transferred from the surname, given in the 1910s in honor of President Woodrow Wilson.

How popular is the name Woodrow in 2025?

Woodrow ranked #1,653 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 102 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Woodrow?

39,246 babies have been named Woodrow in the United States since 1900, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Woodrow most popular?

Woodrow peaked in 1918, when 3,372 newborns received the name.

Is Woodrow a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Woodrow rising or falling?

Woodrow is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Woodrow become more popular?

Woodrow is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 115 boys named Woodrow 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 Woodrow?

Well-known people named Woodrow include Woodrow Wilson (politician).

Names like Woodrow

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

Compare Woodrow with similar names → More names starting with W →