Portia
Portia is a feminine given name taken from the name of the Roman Porcia gens, which was ultimately derived from the Latin porcus; porcus translates to pig. It is best known as a character who disguises herself as a man to act as an imposter judge and save the life of Antonio in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. Porsha is a modern spelling variant.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Portia
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Portia is a feminine given name taken from the name of the Roman Porcia gens, which was ultimately derived from the Latin porcus; porcus translates to pig. It is best known as a character who disguises herself as a man to act as an imposter judge and save the life of Antonio in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. Porsha is a modern spelling variant.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Portia
Portia first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1882, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1989: 259 births, good for #757 nationwide. As of 2026, Portia ranks #6,676 for baby girls with 17 births, falling sharply (-25%). All told, over 11K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Portia
Phonetically similar names — useful when Portia 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 Portia
What does the name Portia mean?
What is the origin of the name Portia?
How popular is Portia in 2026?
When was Portia most popular?
In which U.S. states is Portia most popular?
Is Portia a unisex name?
What names go well with Portia?
About the name Portia
Portia is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1882 and has accumulated 11K births in the dataset. Portia's peak popularity came in 1989 when it ranked #587. Use the chart and map above to compare Portia's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1989 →
- Names of the 1980s →
- Names starting with "P" →
- 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.