Boy · #5,077 in 2026

Horace

Horace is a masculine given name, derived from the Roman poet Quintus Horatius Flaccus.

Current Rank
#5,077
Peak Rank
#79 (1921)
Total Babies
54K
5-Yr Trend
-9%
1914
First Year
1962
Last Year
1949
Peak Year
#2851
Peak Rank
202
Total Count
27
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Horace

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

Horace is a masculine given name, derived from the Roman poet Quintus Horatius Flaccus.

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

The Story of Horace

Horace first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 199 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1921, when 1,313 Horaces were born — ranking #129 that year. As of 2026, Horace ranks #5,077 for baby boys with 19 births, gradually falling (-9%). In total, more than 54K Horaces have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
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WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
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NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
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AR
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Top 10
11-50
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101-500
500+
No data

Names that sound like Horace

Phonetically similar names — useful when Horace 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 Horace

What does the name Horace mean?
Horace is a masculine given name, derived from the Roman poet Quintus Horatius Flaccus.
How popular is Horace in 2026?
In 2026, Horace ranks #5,077 among boys' names in the U.S., with 19 babies given the name that year.
When was Horace most popular?
Horace reached its peak popularity in 1921, ranking #79 that year with 1,313 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Horace most popular?
Horace has historically been most popular in Delaware, Georgia, Tennessee. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Horace.
Is Horace a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Horace is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with Horace?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Horace include Archie, Marion, Sidney. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Horace

Horace is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 54K births in the dataset. Horace's peak popularity came in 1921 when it ranked #79. Use the chart and map above to compare Horace'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.