Modest
Modest is a name with a single cultural origin: Russian.
- Russian
Meaning & Origin of Modest
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Modest is a name with a single cultural origin: Russian.
Origin data from Behind the Name .
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Russian
The Story of Modest
American parents first put Modest on the record books as a baby girl name in 1911, with 7 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1921, when 11 Modests were born — ranking #2,941 that year. The 1910s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 58% of all recorded Modests. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 1927 (6 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 65 Modests have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Modest
Phonetically similar names — useful when Modest 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 Modest
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About the name Modest
Modest is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1911 and has accumulated 65 births in the dataset. Modest's peak popularity came in 1921 when it ranked #2,941. Use the chart and map above to compare Modest's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1921 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- Names starting with "M" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.