Honor
Honor is a primarily feminine given name derived from the word "honour", taken from a Latin root word honos, honoris. It was a virtue name in use by the Puritans. It is still in occasional use in England, but is an extremely rare name in the United States, where it has never ranked among the top 1,000 names for girls or boys.
Meaning & Origin of Honor
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Honor is a primarily feminine given name derived from the word "honour", taken from a Latin root word honos, honoris. It was a virtue name in use by the Puritans. It is still in occasional use in England, but is an extremely rare name in the United States, where it has never ranked among the top 1,000 names for girls or boys.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Honor
As a girl name
The earliest SSA record of Honor as a girl name dates back to 1888, when 6 babies received it. 2012 was its biggest year on record, with 134 newborns named Honor — #1,611 in the national rankings. The 2010s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 34% of all recorded Honors. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #2,038 among girl names with 96 births, holding steady (-5%). In total, more than 3K Honors have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
As a boy name
The earliest SSA record of Honor as a boy name dates back to 1952, when 6 babies received it. 2021 was its biggest year on record, with 130 newborns named Honor — #1,407 in the national rankings. The 2020s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 49% of all recorded Honors. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #1,577 among boy names with 110 births, holding steady (+5%). In total, more than 2K Honors have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1950s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Honor
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Honor Blackman (1925–2020), English actress
- Honor Carter (born 1982), field hockey player from New Zealand
- Honor Crowley (1903–1966), Irish politician
- Honor Fell (1900–1986), English biologist and zoologist
- Honor Flaherty (died 1848), Irish Famine victim
- Honor Ford-Smith (born 1951), Jamaican actress, playwright, scholar, and poet
- Honor Fraser (born 1974), Scottish art dealer and former model
- Honor Harger (born 1975), curator and artist from New Zealand
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Honor
Phonetically similar names — useful when Honor is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Honor
What does the name Honor mean?
How popular is Honor in 2026?
When was Honor most popular?
In which U.S. states is Honor most popular?
Is Honor a unisex name?
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About the name Honor
Honor is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1888 and has accumulated 3K births in the dataset. Honor's peak popularity came in 2012 when it ranked #1,094. Use the chart and map above to compare Honor'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 "H" →
- Browse all girl 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.