Bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role or office of the bishop is called episcopacy or the episcopate.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Bishop
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role or office of the bishop is called episcopacy or the episcopate.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Bishop
The earliest SSA record of Bishop as a baby boy name dates back to 1880, when 12 babies received it. 2021 was its biggest year on record, with 222 newborns named Bishop — #987 in the national rankings. About 26% of every Bishop on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Bishop ranks #1,245 for baby boys with 160 births, falling sharply (-16%). All told, over 7K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Bishop
Phonetically similar names — useful when Bishop is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Bishops
- Bisha
- Pushup
- Busha
- Boucher
- Basha
- Bhatia
- Bisho
- Beweep
- Ballup
- Bhasha
- Bischof
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bishop
What does the name Bishop mean?
What is the origin of the name Bishop?
How popular is Bishop in 2026?
When was Bishop most popular?
In which U.S. states is Bishop most popular?
Is Bishop a unisex name?
What names go well with Bishop?
About the name Bishop
Bishop is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 7K births in the dataset. Bishop's peak popularity came in 2021 when it ranked #415. Use the chart and map above to compare Bishop's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2021 →
- Names of the 2020s →
- Names starting with "B" →
- 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.