Boy · #10,812 in 2026

Cotter

Name: Popularity of the name Cotter in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Cotter, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Current Rank

#10,812

Peak Rank

#6,670 (1992)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1990

First Year

2023

Last Year

1992

Peak Year

#6670

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

The Story of Cotter

The earliest SSA record of Cotter as a baby boy name dates back to 1990, when 5 babies received it. 1992 was its biggest year on record, with 7 newborns named Cotter — #6,670 in the national rankings. About 45% of every Cotter on record arrived during the 2000s, its defining decade. Cotter last appeared in the published SSA data in 2023, with 6 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 51 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1990s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Cotter

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

Kotter
Katar
Cotr
Couter
Cauter
Cater
Cutter
Cooter
Coater
Kater
Ketter
Catarrh

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Cotter

What does the name Cotter mean?

Cotter is a boy's name that has been used in U.S. records since 1990. Behind the Name doesn't list a specific etymology, but the name has remained in use across multiple decades.

How popular is Cotter in 2026?

In 2026, Cotter ranks #10,812 among boys' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.

When was Cotter most popular?

Cotter reached its peak popularity in 1992, ranking #6,670 that year with 7 babies given the name.

Is Cotter a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Cotter is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Cotter?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Cotter include Dual, Akintunde, Tolan. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Cotter

Cotter is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1990 and has accumulated 51 births in the dataset. Cotter's peak popularity came in 1992 when it ranked #6,670. Use the chart and map above to compare Cotter'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.