Boys' name · since 1880

Doctor

379 babies named Doctor in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1920. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#9,316 of 45,481
all-time among boys
379
born since 1880
1920s
peak decade

Doctor is not among the current top-ranked boys names; 379 have been recorded since 1880.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Doctor has been recorded 379 times among boys since 1880, though it is not among the currently most-used boys names, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 1951.

  • #9,316 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • 379 born since 1880
  • 1920s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Doctor ranks #9,316 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 379 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.

#9,316 of 45,481
all-time among boys
379
born since 1880
1920s
peak decade
Above the archive median
All-time archive position

Doctor's 379 recorded births place it above 79.48% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

1 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

The state file records this name in 1 jurisdictions, led by North Carolina.

Doctor's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Doctor's SSA record in two at 1914 and the more recent half accounts for 57% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 43%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1885, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1920 peak of 17, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Doctor popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–1951

Last recorded 1951
Peak year (1920)
17
Annual births at peak, across 72 years of records
05101520 18801887189519111917192319301951 6

Doctor by decade

1920s is the heaviest window (97 births, 26% of the file).

1920s was Doctor's strongest decade.

97 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.

Doctor births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1920s at 97 births (26% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

Doctor by state

Where Doctor concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 1 states by recorded births for the name Doctor
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 North Carolina
35 9.2%
North Carolina share of Doctor's total US births 9.2%

35 of 379 births nationwide.

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Doctor?
Since 1880, Social Security records show 379 babies named Doctor. Across the full SSA archive it ranks #9,316 of 45,481 boys' names by total births. The most recent recorded year was 1951. Its busiest year on record was 1920, with 17 births.
Where does Doctor sit in the SSA name archive?
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Doctor ranks #9,316 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the null SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Doctor most popular?
Doctor was most popular in the 1920s decade with 97 total births. The single peak year was 1920.
Where is Doctor most popular?
The top states for the name Doctor are North Carolina (35 births).
How long has the name Doctor been used?
Records for Doctor go back to 1880, giving 72 years of history through 1951.
What names are similar to Doctor?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Dock, Doc, Dockie. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Doctor's data

  • Doctor's decade-level peak was the 1920s (97 total births); usage has since declined to 6 in the 1950s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • North Carolina records the most Doctors (35 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. North Carolina names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Doctor

Nearby Names Like Doctor

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Doctor

Names with a similar number of total births

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Doctor: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–1951 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Doctor draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.