Boy · #10,860 in 2026

Admiral

Name: Popularity of the name Admiral in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Admiral, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general or air chief marshal in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, or fleet admiral.

Current Rank

#10,860

Peak Rank

#394 (1898)

Total Babies

263

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1898

First Year

2022

Last Year

1898

Peak Year

#394

Peak Rank

263

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Admiral

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Etymology

The word admiral in Middle English comes from Anglo-French amiral , "commander", from Medieval Latin admiralis , admirallus . These evolved from the Arabic amīral ( أمير الـ ) – amīr ( أمير ) [ʔmjr] ( listen ⓘ ), " king , prince , chief, leader, nobleman , lord , a governor , commander , or person who rules over a number of people" and al ( الـ ), the Arabic definite article meaning "the." In Arabic, admiral is also represented as Amīr al-Baḥr ( أمير البحر ), where al-Baḥr (البحر) means the sea . The 1818 edition of Samuel Johnson 's A Dictionary of the English Language , edited and revised by

Origin & history

The word "admiral" has come to be almost exclusively associated with the highest naval rank in most of the world's navies , equivalent to the army rank of general . However, this was not always the case; for example, in some European countries prior to the end of World War II , admiral was the third highest naval rank after general admiral and grand admiral . The rank of admiral has also been subdivided into various grades, several of which are historically extinct while others remain in use in most present-day navies. The Royal Navy used the colours red, white, and blue, in descending order t

The Story of Admiral

Admiral first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1898, with 25 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1898, when 25 Admirals were born — ranking #394 that year. As of 2026, Admiral ranks #10,860 for baby boys with 6 births, with steady use. In total, more than 263 Admirals have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1890s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Admiral

Phonetically similar names — useful when Admiral is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Admirals
Adderall
Atmel
Ederle
Admirable
Addle
Admirably
Amel
Emeril
Cameral
Admira
Admiralty

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Admiral

What does the name Admiral mean?

How popular is Admiral in 2026?

In 2026, Admiral ranks #10,860 among boys' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.

When was Admiral most popular?

Admiral reached its peak popularity in 1898, ranking #394 that year with 25 babies given the name.

Is Admiral a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Admiral is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Admiral?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Admiral include Bertram, Merritt, Corbett. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Admiral

Admiral is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1898 and has accumulated 263 births in the dataset. Admiral's peak popularity came in 1898 when it ranked #394. Use the chart and map above to compare Admiral's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.