Total births
108,728
Boys' name · since 1880
Hector
108,728 babies named Hector in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2005. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #380
- among boys today
- 108,728
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Hector is the #380 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 108,728 recorded since 1880.
Hector has 108,728 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #380 as of the latest data, more common than 97% of boys, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #380 among boys today
- 108,728 born since 1880
- 2000s peak decade
- 97% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Hector is currently the #380 boys' name in America, more common than 97% of boys - 108,728 born since 1880, peaking in the 2000s.
- #380
- among boys today
- 108,728
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other boys
Hector vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#380
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 97% of names given to boys today.
2000s
Peak decade
19% of everyone ever named Hector was born in this single decade.
2005
Single peak year
2,458 babies were named Hector in 2005 - its busiest year on record.
How Hector compares
108,728 Top 2% higher than 98% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Hector's all-time total is 296x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Hector | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 108,728 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 2,458 | 23 | 22,252 |
Hector's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Hector splits its recorded history at 1953: 92% of all births land in the more recent half, 8% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1901 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2005 peak of 2,458 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Hector at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
2005
Current rank
#380
Active since
1880
Hector popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2005)
- 2,458
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Hector popularity over time - girls
481 total births recorded since 1935 (Hector as girls' name)
Hector by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Hector's strongest decade.
20,880 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 19% of all-time use.
Hector births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 95
1880s
95 births
- 1890s 103
1890s
103 births
- 1900s 125
1900s
125 births
- 1910s 694
1910s
694 births
- 1920s 1,481
1920s
1,481 births
- 1930s 1,794
1930s
1,794 births
- 1940s 2,825
1940s
2,825 births
- 1950s 7,101
1950s
7,101 births
- 1960s
1960s
9,604 births
- 1970s
1970s
12,130 births
- 1980s
1980s
15,108 births
- 1990s
1990s
19,493 births
- 2000s
2000s
20,880 births
- 2010s
2010s
12,137 births
- 2020s 5,158
2020s
5,158 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 20,880 births (19% of all-time use).
How Hector compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Hector's total volume
Hector vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Hector by state
Where Hector concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 30,837 | 28.4% |
| #2 | Texas | | 27,940 | 25.7% |
| #3 | New York | | 11,613 | 10.7% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 5,050 | 4.6% |
| #5 | Arizona | | 4,488 | 4.1% |
| #6 | Florida | | 3,550 | 3.3% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 3,126 | 2.9% |
| #8 | Massachusetts | | 1,708 | 1.6% |
California share of Hector's total US births 28.4%
Even split
30,837 of 108,728 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 43 reporting states.
Hector appears in 43 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Hector? ▼
108,728 babies have been named Hector since 1880. It currently ranks #380 among boys. The peak year was 2005 with 2,458 births.
When was Hector most popular? ▼
Hector was most popular in the 2000s decade with 20,880 total births. The single peak year was 2005.
Where is Hector most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Hector are California (30,837 births), Texas (27,940 births), New York (11,613 births).
How long has the name Hector been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Hector since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Hector? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Hec. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Hector's data
- Hector's decade-level peak was the 2000s (20,880 total births); usage has since declined to 5,158 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Hectors (30,837 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California 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 Hector
Nearby Names Like Hector
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Hector
Compare Hector side by side: Hector vs Hec
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Hector
Raymond #379
779,794 births · Peak 1924
Eliam #381
4,439 births · Peak 2025
Eduardo #378
110,257 births · Peak 2001
Edwin #382
247,553 births · Peak 1922
Wells #377
6,989 births · Peak 2025
Titus #383
26,811 births · Peak 2015
Kylo #376
5,345 births · Peak 2024
Spencer #384
123,931 births · Peak 1998
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Hector: #380 Boys' Name - 108,728 Births, Peak 2005." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/hector. 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 Hector 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 June 2026.