US rank #1707 Boys' name Peak 1991 10,317 births

Nestor — #1707 US boys' name

10,317 babies named Nestor in U.S. Social Security records since 1885, with the highest year being 1991. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s51890s171900s261910s1851920s2571930s2171940s2141950s4041960s5361970s7681980s14521990s25872000s20232010s11792020s447
#1707
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 88% of names given to boys today.

1990s
Peak decade

25% of everyone ever named Nestor was born in this single decade.

1991
Single peak year

300 babies were named Nestor in 1991 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Nestor

The Social Security Administration has registered 10,317 babies named Nestor between 1885 and 2024, spanning 140 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Nestor currently holds the #1707 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1991, when 300 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Nestor performed strongest in the 1990s, accumulating 2,587 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Nestor shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in California, which accounts for 3,148 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Texas and New York. In total, SSA state-level files list Nestor in 25 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Nestor in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 10,317 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Nestor at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

10,317

Since 1885

140 years of records

Peak year

1991

300 births that year

Strongest decade: 1990s

Current rank

#1,707

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1885

Recorded for 140 years

Last year on file: 2024

Nestor popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1885

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1991)
300
Annual births at peak — across 140 years of records
-1000100200300400 202420081992197619601944192819121885 5

Nestor by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1990s
Peak decade
1990s
2,587 births that decade — 25% of Nestor's all-time total
1880s51890s171900s261910s1851920s2571930s2171940s2141950s4041960s5361970s7681980s14521990s25872000s20232010s11792020s447

Nestor by state

Where Nestor concentrates geographically — total births since 1885

Regionally concentrated
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Nestor
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
3,148 30.5%
#2 Texas
1,490 14.4%
#3 New York
1,103 10.7%
#4 Illinois
425 4.1%
#5 Florida
378 3.7%
#6 New Jersey
217 2.1%
#7 Arizona
194 1.9%
#8 New Mexico
115 1.1%
California share of Nestor's total US births 30.5%
Even split

3,148 of 10,317 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 25 reporting states.

Nestor appears in 25 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Nestor?
10,317 babies have been named Nestor since 1885. It currently ranks #1707 among boys. The peak year was 1991 with 300 births.
When was Nestor most popular?
Nestor was most popular in the 1990s decade with 2,587 total births. The single peak year was 1991.
Where is Nestor most popular?
The top states for the name Nestor are California (3,148 births), Texas (1,490 births), New York (1,103 births).
How long has the name Nestor been used?
Nestor has been recorded in Social Security data since 1885, spanning 140 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Nestor?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Nesanel, Nessiah, Nesta, Nester, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Nestor

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1885–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.