Blake
Blake is a unisex given name, which originated from Old English. Its derivation is uncertain; it could come from "blac", a nickname for someone who had dark hair or skin, or from "blaac", a nickname for someone with pale hair or skin.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Blake
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Blake is a unisex given name, which originated from Old English. Its derivation is uncertain; it could come from "blac", a nickname for someone who had dark hair or skin, or from "blaac", a nickname for someone with pale hair or skin.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Blake
As a girl name
Blake first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1951, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2021: 1,502 births, good for #199 nationwide. About 46% of every Blake on record arrived during the 2020s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Blake ranks #213 for girls with 1,454 births, gradually rising (+9%). All told, over 22K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1950s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
Blake first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1883, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2012: 6,047 births, good for #71 nationwide. About 27% of every Blake on record arrived during the 2000s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Blake ranks #287 for boys with 1,174 births, falling sharply (-39%). All told, over 188K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Blake
Phonetically similar names — useful when Blake is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Black
- Block
- Bleak
- Bloke
- Bleek
- Bloc
- Blick
- Blak
- Blac
- Blok
- Blech
- Bleck
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Blake
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In which U.S. states is Blake most popular?
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About the name Blake
Blake is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1883 and has accumulated 188K births in the dataset. Blake's peak popularity came in 2012 when it ranked #71. Use the chart and map above to compare Blake's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2012 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- 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.