Boy · #8,947 in 2026

Horatio

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

Horatio is an English male given name, an Italianized form of the ancient Roman Latin nomen (name) Horatius, from the Roman gens (clan) Horatia. The modern Italian form is Orazio, the modern Spanish form Horacio. It appears to have been first used in England in 1565, in the Tudor era during which the Italian Renaissance movement had started to influence the English culture.

English

Current Rank

#8,947

Peak Rank

#2,920 (2007)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1880

First Year

2024

Last Year

2007

Peak Year

#2920

Peak Rank

Total Count

121

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Horatio

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

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

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

English

Origin & history

Prominent English-language examples of the name "Horatio" include: Horatio de Vere, 1st Baron Vere of Tilbury (1565–1635), an English military leader, was one of the earliest English holders of the name, born 34 years before Shakespeare invented the character Horatio in his 1599/1601 play Hamlet . He was a grandfather of Horatio Townshend, 1st Viscount Townshend (1630–1687), whose son Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend (a ward of Col. Robert Walpole (1650–1700) of Houghton Hall in Norfolk) married Dorothy Walpole, one of the latter's daughters and a sister of Horatio Walpole, 1st Baron

The Story of Horatio

Horatio first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 15 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2007, when 40 Horatios were born — ranking #2,920 that year. As of 2026, Horatio ranks #8,947 for baby boys with 8 births, with steady use. In total, more than 1K Horatios 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

Variants & Related Forms of Horatio

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Horatio. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Horace

Notable people named Horatio

A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.

Horatio Alger Jr. (1832–1899), American author
Horatio Allen (1802–1889), American civil engineer and inventor
Horatio Saint George Anson (1903–1925), British electrical engineer
Horatio Thomas Austin (1801–1865), British Royal Navy officer and arctic explorer
Horatio Barber (1875–1964), British aviation pioneer
Horatio Beck (1810–1872), American politician
Horatio L. Birdsall (1833–1891), American Civil War soldier awarded the Medal of Honor
Horatio Bottomley (1860–1932), English swindler, publisher and politician

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

Names that sound like Horatio

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

Horatii
Hershey
Hereto
Horatian
Herero
Presho
Halo
Hersh
Herrera
Hirsch
Hirsh
Hro

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Horatio

What does the name Horatio mean?

What is the origin of the name Horatio?

Horatio has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English.

How popular is Horatio in 2026?

In 2026, Horatio ranks #8,947 among boys' names in the U.S., with 8 babies given the name that year.

When was Horatio most popular?

Horatio reached its peak popularity in 2007, ranking #2,920 that year with 40 babies given the name.

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

Horatio has historically been most popular in New York, Pennsylvania, Georgia. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Horatio.

Is Horatio a unisex name?

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

What names go well with Horatio?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Horatio include Criss, Cleaster, Claybon. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

What are nicknames or variants of Horatio?

Common variants and related forms of Horatio include Horace. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Horatio

Horatio is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Horatio's peak popularity came in 2007 when it ranked #2,920. Use the chart and map above to compare Horatio'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.