Boy · #4,151 in 2026

Vassar

Vassar College is a private liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college became coeducational in 1969. The college offers BA degrees in more than fifty majors.

Current Rank
#4,151
Peak Rank
#3,545 (1917)
Total Babies
21
5-Yr Trend
Stable
1912
First Year
1928
Last Year
1917
Peak Year
#3545
Peak Rank
21
Total Count
4
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Vassar

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

Vassar College is a private liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college became coeducational in 1969. The college offers BA degrees in more than fifty majors.

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

Origin & history
An 1861 oil portrait of Matthew Vassar by Charles Loring Elliott Vassar was founded as a women's school under the name "Vassar Female College" in 1861. Its first president was Milo P. Jewett, who had previously been first president of another women's school, Judson College ; he led a staff of ten professors and twenty-one instructors. After one year, its founder, Matthew Vassar , had the word Female removed from the name, prompting some local residents of Poughkeepsie, New York , to quip that its founder believed it might one day admit male students. The college became coeducational in 1969. V

The Story of Vassar

Vassar first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1912, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1917, when 6 Vassars were born — ranking #3,545 that year. As of 2026, Vassar ranks #4,151 for baby boys with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 21 Vassars have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Notable people named Vassar

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

  • Anthony Bourdain , Emmy Award -winning author and celebrity chef
  • Mary Calderone , public health advocate and "mother of sex education"
  • Jane Fonda , Academy Award -winning actress
  • Anne Hathaway , Academy Award -winning actress
  • Grace Hopper , inventor of the first compiler for a computer programming language
  • Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis , former First Lady of the United States (transferred to George Washington University )
  • Lisa Kudrow , Emmy Award -winning actress
  • Edna St. Vincent Millay , Pulitzer Prize -winning lyrical poet

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

Names that sound like Vassar

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

  • Vasser
  • Vasseur
  • Visser
  • Voicer
  • Visar
  • Viscer
  • Visor
  • Vass
  • Vaster
  • Viser
  • Vizor
  • Verser

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Vassar

What does the name Vassar mean?
Vassar College is a private liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college became coeducational in 1969. The college offers BA degrees in more than fifty majors.
How popular is Vassar in 2026?
In 2026, Vassar ranks #4,151 among boys' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year.
When was Vassar most popular?
Vassar reached its peak popularity in 1917, ranking #3,545 that year with 6 babies given the name.
Is Vassar a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Vassar is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with Vassar?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Vassar include Lumas, Procopio, Sellers. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

Similar Names

👦
Lumas
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Procopio
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👦
Sellers
Peak #3545
👦
Lauritz
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👦
Adie
Peak #3545
👦
Amandus
Peak #3545
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Arnt
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Azzie
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About the name Vassar

Vassar is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1912 and has accumulated 21 births in the dataset. Vassar's peak popularity came in 1917 when it ranked #3,545. Use the chart and map above to compare Vassar'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.