Anchor
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα.
Meaning & Origin of Anchor
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Anchor
The earliest SSA record of Anchor as a baby boy name dates back to 2012, when 5 babies received it. 2016 was its biggest year on record, with 17 newborns named Anchor — #5,315 in the national rankings. About 67% of every Anchor on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. Anchor last appeared in the published SSA data in 2024, with 10 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 141 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 2010s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Anchor
Phonetically similar names — useful when Anchor is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Anchor
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About the name Anchor
Anchor is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 2012 and has accumulated 141 births in the dataset. Anchor's peak popularity came in 2016 when it ranked #5,315. Use the chart and map above to compare Anchor's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2016 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "A" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.