Banks
Banks is a given name of English origin that is a transferred use of a surname or place name that means “by a bank.” It also has modern associations with wealth due to the name for a financial institution and the family surname of the family in the Mary Poppins books and the 1964 film and its 2018 sequel and to Banksy, a pseudonymous England-based street artist and political activist.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Banks
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Banks is a given name of English origin that is a transferred use of a surname or place name that means “by a bank.” It also has modern associations with wealth due to the name for a financial institution and the family surname of the family in the Mary Poppins books and the 1964 film and its 2018 sequel and to Banksy, a pseudonymous England-based street artist and political activist.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Banks
As a girl name
Banks first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 2018, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2026, when 101 Bankss were born — ranking #1,959 that year. As of 2026, Banks ranks #1,959 for girls with 101 births, rising sharply (+128% over the past five years). In total, more than 616 Bankss have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 2010s through the 2020s.
As a boy name
Banks first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1883, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2026, when 1,101 Bankss were born — ranking #308 that year. As of 2026, Banks ranks #308 for boys with 1,101 births, rising sharply (+236% over the past five years). In total, more than 7K Bankss have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Banks
Phonetically similar names — useful when Banks is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Bankes
- Bunks
- Binks
- Bonks
- Bank
- Backs
- Blanks
- Banksy
- Bax
- Banco
- Banc
- Baks
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Banks
What does the name Banks mean?
What is the origin of the name Banks?
How popular is Banks in 2026?
When was Banks most popular?
In which U.S. states is Banks most popular?
Is Banks a unisex name?
What names go well with Banks?
About the name Banks
Banks is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1883 and has accumulated 7K births in the dataset. Banks's peak popularity came in 2026 when it ranked #308. Use the chart and map above to compare Banks's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2026 →
- Names of the 2020s →
- Names starting with "B" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
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.