Total births
379
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.
- 379
- total births
- 1880–1951
- years on record
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 26%
- born in that 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.
- 379 total births
- 1880–1951 years on record
- 1920s peak decade
- 26% born in that decade
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
379 boys have been named Doctor since 1880, peaking in the 1920s, last recorded in 1951.
- 379
- total births
- 1880–1951
- years on record
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 26%
- born in that decade
1920s
Peak decade
26% of everyone ever named Doctor was born in this single decade.
1920
Single peak year
17 babies were named Doctor in 1920 - its busiest year on record.
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 at a glance
Last recorded 1951Peak year
1920
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1880
Doctor popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–1951
- Peak year (1920)
- 17
- Annual births at peak, across 72 years of records
Doctor by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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
- 1880s
1880s
65 births
- 1890s
1890s
65 births
- 1900s 14
1900s
14 births
- 1910s
1910s
96 births
- 1920s
1920s
97 births
- 1930s 36
1930s
36 births
- 1950s 6
1950s
6 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 97 births (26% of all-time use).
Doctor by state
Where Doctor concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| 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. The most recent recorded year was 1951. Its busiest year on record was 1920, with 17 births.
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
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare 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
Compare Doctor side by side: Doctor vs Dock Doctor vs Doc Doctor vs Dockie
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of July 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Doctor: Baby Name Since 1880 - 379 Births, Peak 1920." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/doctor. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 July 2026.