Socrates
Socrates was an ancient Greek philosopher from Classical Athens, perhaps the first Western moral philosopher, and a major inspiration on his student Plato, who largely founded the tradition of Western philosophy. An enigmatic figure, Socrates authored no texts and is known mainly through the posthumous accounts of classical writers, particularly his students Plato and Xenophon.
- Ancient Greek
- Spanish
- Portuguese
Meaning & Origin of Socrates
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Socrates was an ancient Greek philosopher from Classical Athens, perhaps the first Western moral philosopher, and a major inspiration on his student Plato, who largely founded the tradition of Western philosophy. An enigmatic figure, Socrates authored no texts and is known mainly through the posthumous accounts of classical writers, particularly his students Plato and Xenophon.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Ancient Greek
- Spanish
- Portuguese
The Story of Socrates
American parents first put Socrates on the record books as a baby boy name in 1914, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1922, when 17 Socratess were born — ranking #1,952 that year. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2022 (11 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 725 Socratess have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Socrates
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Socrates. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Sokrates
Names that sound like Socrates
Phonetically similar names — useful when Socrates is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Isocrates
- Secretase
- Saugerties
- Secrets
- Sororities
- Secrecies
- Sokrates
- Secretaire
- Sorties
- Secreta
- Syncretize
- Sucrets
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Socrates
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About the name Socrates
Socrates is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1914 and has accumulated 725 births in the dataset. Socrates's peak popularity came in 1922 when it ranked #1,952. Use the chart and map above to compare Socrates's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1922 →
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- 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.