Unisex · #643 in 2026

Boston

Boston is a masculine given name which may refer to:Boston Blackie (guitarist) (1943–1993), American guitarist, singer, and bandleader Boston Charley, Native American warrior in the Modoc War Boston Corbett, American soldier who shot Abraham Lincoln's assassin John Wilkes Booth Boston Custer (1848–1876), brother of George Armstrong Custer Boston Jenkins Drayton (1821–1865), Liberian politician,…

  • English
Current Rank
#643
Peak Rank
#536 (2014)
Total Babies
11K
5-Yr Trend
+2%
👧 Girl peak #2,682 (1K total)
👦 Boy peak #536 (11K total)
👦As Boy Name
1880
First Year
2026
Last Year
2014
Peak Year
#536
Peak Rank
11K
Total Count
104
Years Active
👧As Girl Name
1992
First Year
2026
Last Year
2014
Peak Year
#2682
Peak Rank
1K
Total Count
35
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Boston

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

Boston is a masculine given name which may refer to:Boston Blackie (guitarist) (1943–1993), American guitarist, singer, and bandleader Boston Charley, Native American warrior in the Modoc War Boston Corbett, American soldier who shot Abraham Lincoln's assassin John Wilkes Booth Boston Custer (1848–1876), brother of George Armstrong Custer Boston Jenkins Drayton (1821–1865), Liberian politician,…

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

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • English

The Story of Boston

As a girl name

American parents first put Boston on the record books as a girl name in 1992, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2014, when 65 Bostons were born — ranking #2,682 that year. About 42% of every Boston on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Boston ranks #3,553 for girls with 43 births, gradually falling (-7%). All told, over 1K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1990s to the 2020s.

As a boy name

Boston first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1880, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2014: 497 births, good for #555 nationwide. About 40% of every Boston on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Boston ranks #643 for boys with 439 births, holding steady (+2%). All told, over 11K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Girls Boys

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Names that sound like Boston

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

  • Baston
  • Beaston
  • Beeston
  • Bastien
  • Basten
  • Besten
  • Bastone
  • Bustin
  • Bostin
  • Bastin
  • Botton
  • Botten

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Boston

What does the name Boston mean?
Boston is a masculine given name which may refer to:Boston Blackie (guitarist) (1943–1993), American guitarist, singer, and bandleader Boston Charley, Native American warrior in the Modoc War Boston Corbett, American soldier who shot Abraham Lincoln's assassin John Wilkes Booth Boston Custer (1848–1876), brother of George Armstrong Custer Boston Jenkins Drayton (1821–1865), Liberian politician,…
What is the origin of the name Boston?
Boston has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English.
How popular is Boston in 2026?
In 2026, Boston ranks #643 among boys' names in the U.S., with 439 babies given the name that year.
When was Boston most popular?
Boston reached its peak popularity in 2014, ranking #536 that year with 497 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Boston most popular?
Boston has historically been most popular in Utah, Idaho, Oklahoma. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Boston.
Is Boston a unisex name?
Yes — Boston is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 9% of Bostons assigned female and 91% assigned male historically.
What names go well with Boston?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Boston include Marcellus, Dandre, Huxley. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Boston

Boston is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 11K births in the dataset. Boston's peak popularity came in 2014 when it ranked #536. Use the chart and map above to compare Boston'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.