Total births
20,808
Boys' name · since 1880
Porter
20,808 babies named Porter in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2015. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #617
- among boys today
- 20,808
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other boys
20,808 babies have been named Porter since 1880, making it today's #617 boys' name.
Porter has 20,808 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #617 as of the latest data, more common than 96% of boys, busiest in the 2010s -- 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.
- #617 among boys today
- 20,808 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
- 96% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Porter is currently the #617 boys' name in America, more common than 96% of boys - 20,808 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #617
- among boys today
- 20,808
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other boys
Porter vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#617
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 96% of names given to boys today.
2010s
Peak decade
35% of everyone ever named Porter was born in this single decade.
2015
Single peak year
862 babies were named Porter in 2015 - its busiest year on record.
How Porter compares
20,808 Top 6% higher than 94% 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
Porter's all-time total is 57x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Porter | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 20,808 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 862 | 23 | 22,252 |
Porter's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Porter's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 80% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 20%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1887, with only 14 births recorded -- set against the 2015 peak of 862, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Porter at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
2015
Current rank
#617
Active since
1880
Porter popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2015)
- 862
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Porter popularity over time - girls
993 total births recorded since 1917 (Porter as girls' name)
Porter by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Porter's strongest decade.
7,258 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 35% of all-time use.
Porter births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 274
1880s
274 births
- 1890s 269
1890s
269 births
- 1900s 277
1900s
277 births
- 1910s 896
1910s
896 births
- 1920s 982
1920s
982 births
- 1930s 655
1930s
655 births
- 1940s 559
1940s
559 births
- 1950s 473
1950s
473 births
- 1960s 333
1960s
333 births
- 1970s 241
1970s
241 births
- 1980s 257
1980s
257 births
- 1990s 720
1990s
720 births
- 2000s
2000s
4,017 births
- 2010s
2010s
7,258 births
- 2020s
2020s
3,597 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 7,258 births (35% of all-time use).
How Porter 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 Porter's total volume
Porter vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Porter by state
Where Porter concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Utah | | 1,894 | 9.1% |
| #2 | Texas | | 1,097 | 5.3% |
| #3 | California | | 907 | 4.4% |
| #4 | Tennessee | | 758 | 3.6% |
| #5 | North Carolina | | 679 | 3.3% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 540 | 2.6% |
| #7 | Alabama | | 528 | 2.5% |
| #8 | Washington | | 528 | 2.5% |
Utah share of Porter's total US births 9.1%
Even split
1,894 of 20,808 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 47 reporting states.
Porter appears in 47 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Porter? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 20,808 babies named Porter. Today it holds rank #617 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 2015, with 862 births.
When was Porter most popular? ▼
Porter was most popular in the 2010s decade with 7,258 total births. The single peak year was 2015.
Where is Porter most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Porter are Utah (1,894 births), Texas (1,097 births), California (907 births).
How long has the name Porter been used? ▼
Records for Porter go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Porter? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Porfirio, Portland, Port, Portia, and 1 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Porter's data
- Porter's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (7,258 total births) through the 2020s (3,597) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Utah records the most Porters (1,894 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Utah 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 Porter
Nearby Names Like Porter
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Porter
Porfirio Boy
#8350 3,526 births
Portland Boy
#10439 93 births
Port Boy
18 births
Portia Boy
8 births
Porsha Boy
6 births
Compare Porter side by side: Porter vs Porfirio Porter vs Portland Porter vs Port
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Porter
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. "Porter: #617 Boys' Name - 20,808 Births, Peak 2015." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/porter. 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 Porter 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.