Boy · #9,864 in 2026

Ontario

Ontario is the southernmost province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it is home to over 14 million people, which is 38.5% of the country's population. Ontario is the second-largest province by total area and the fourth-largest jurisdiction of all the Canadian provinces and territories.

Current Rank
#9,864
Peak Rank
#2,096 (1991)
Total Babies
877
5-Yr Trend
Stable
1967
First Year
2024
Last Year
1991
Peak Year
#2096
Peak Rank
877
Total Count
55
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Ontario

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

Ontario is the southernmost province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it is home to over 14 million people, which is 38.5% of the country's population. Ontario is the second-largest province by total area and the fourth-largest jurisdiction of all the Canadian provinces and territories.

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

Etymology
Ontario is a term thought to have Indigenous origins, either Ontarí:io , a Huron ( Wyandot ) word meaning "great lake", or possibly skanadario , which means "beautiful water" or "sparkling water" in the Iroquoian languages . Ontario has about 250,000 freshwater lakes. The first mention of the name Ontario was in 1641, when "Ontario" was used to describe the land on the north shore of the easternmost part of the Great Lakes. It was adopted as the official name of the new province at Confederation in 1867.
Origin & history
Main article: History of Ontario Further information: Monarchy in Ontario § History

The Story of Ontario

Ontario first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1967, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1991, when 35 Ontarios were born — ranking #2,096 that year. As of 2026, Ontario ranks #9,864 for baby boys with 7 births, with steady use. In total, more than 877 Ontarios have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1960s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

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Names that sound like Ontario

Phonetically similar names — useful when Ontario 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 Ontario

What does the name Ontario mean?
Ontario is the southernmost province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it is home to over 14 million people, which is 38.5% of the country's population. Ontario is the second-largest province by total area and the fourth-largest jurisdiction of all the Canadian provinces and territories.
How popular is Ontario in 2026?
In 2026, Ontario ranks #9,864 among boys' names in the U.S., with 7 babies given the name that year.
When was Ontario most popular?
Ontario reached its peak popularity in 1991, ranking #2,096 that year with 35 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Ontario most popular?
Ontario has historically been most popular in Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Ontario.
Is Ontario a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Ontario is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with Ontario?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Ontario include Nimrod, Arvell, Ramona. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

Similar Names

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Nimrod
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Arvell
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Ramona
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Bonny
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Rosemary
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Natasha
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Adil
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Jazz
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About the name Ontario

Ontario is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1967 and has accumulated 877 births in the dataset. Ontario's peak popularity came in 1991 when it ranked #2,096. Use the chart and map above to compare Ontario'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.