Boys' name · since 1880
Horace
Horace has 54,154 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1921 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #479 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #6,143 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 54,154
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
54,154 babies have been named Horace since 1880, making it today's #6143 boys' name.
Social Security Administration records show Horace recorded 54,154 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #6143 nationally today, ahead of 56% of boys, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #479 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #6,143 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 54,154 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Horace ranks #479 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #6,143 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 54,154 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #479 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #6,143 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 54,154
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Horace's 54,154 recorded births place it above 98.94% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
46 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Georgia.
How Horace compares
54,154 Top 4% higher than 96% of 13,930 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
Horace's all-time total is 147x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Horace | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 54,154 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,313 | 34 | 22,252 |
Horace's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Horace's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 21% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 79%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 2025, with only 14 births recorded -- set against the 1921 peak of 1,313, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Horace popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 1,313
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Horace popularity over time - girls
202 total births recorded since 1914 (Horace as girls' name)
Horace by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (11,777 births, 22% of the file).
1920s was Horace's strongest decade.
11,777 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Horace births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,650
1880s
1,650 births
- 1890s 1,814
1890s
1,814 births
- 1900s 2,125
1900s
2,125 births
- 1910s
1910s
8,489 births
- 1920s
1920s
11,777 births
- 1930s
1930s
8,126 births
- 1940s
1940s
6,876 births
- 1950s
1950s
5,719 births
- 1960s 3,138
1960s
3,138 births
- 1970s 1,816
1970s
1,816 births
- 1980s 1,118
1980s
1,118 births
- 1990s 753
1990s
753 births
- 2000s 384
2000s
384 births
- 2010s 262
2010s
262 births
- 2020s 107
2020s
107 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 11,777 births (22% of all-time use).
How Horace 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 Horace's total volume
Horace by state
Where Horace concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Georgia | | 5,765 | 10.6% |
| #2 | Texas | | 4,408 | 8.1% |
| #3 | North Carolina | | 4,034 | 7.4% |
| #4 | Alabama | | 3,641 | 6.7% |
| #5 | South Carolina | | 2,694 | 5.0% |
| #6 | Tennessee | | 2,507 | 4.6% |
| #7 | Florida | | 2,404 | 4.4% |
| #8 | Louisiana | | 2,251 | 4.2% |
5,765 of 54,154 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 46 reporting states.
Horace appears in 46 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Horace? ▼
Where does Horace sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Horace most popular? ▼
Where is Horace most popular? ▼
How long has the name Horace been used? ▼
What names are similar to Horace? ▼
What to do with Horace's data
- Horace's decade-level peak was the 1920s (11,777 total births); usage has since declined to 107 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Georgia records the most Horaces (5,765 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Georgia names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Horace
Nearby Names Like Horace
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Horace
Compare Horace side by side: Horace vs Horacio Horace vs Horatio Horace vs Horton
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Horace
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Horace: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1921)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
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, 1880–2025 (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 Horace 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.