Girl · #361 in 2026

Hope

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

Hope is a given name derived from the Middle English hope, ultimately from the Old English word hopian referring to a positive expectation or to the theological virtue of hope. It was used as a virtue name by the Puritans. Puritans also used Hope as an element in phrase names, such as Hope-for, Hopeful, and Hope-still.

Current Rank

#361

Peak Rank

#143 (2000)

Total Babies

98K

5-Yr Trend

-26%

1880

First Year

2026

Last Year

2000

Peak Year

#143

Peak Rank

98K

Total Count

147

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Hope

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

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

The Story of Hope

Hope first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 9 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2000, when 2,321 Hopes were born — ranking #146 that year. As of 2026, Hope ranks #361 for baby girls with 848 births, falling sharply (-26%). In total, more than 98K Hopes have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Hope

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

Hoap
Hopeh
Hop
Hip
Hype
Hoop
Heap
Happ
Hap
Happe
Hep
Heep

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Hope

What does the name Hope mean?

How popular is Hope in 2026?

In 2026, Hope ranks #361 among girls' names in the U.S., with 848 babies given the name that year.

When was Hope most popular?

Hope reached its peak popularity in 2000, ranking #143 that year with 2,321 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Hope most popular?

Hope has historically been most popular in U.S. Territories, Hawaii, South Dakota. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Hope.

Is Hope a unisex name?

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

What names go well with Hope?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Hope include Rebekah, Alana, Emerson. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Hope

Hope is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 98K births in the dataset. Hope's peak popularity came in 2000 when it ranked #143. Use the chart and map above to compare Hope'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.