ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 2019 First Year 2024 Last Year 2024 Peak Year #11069 Peak Rank 20 Total Count 3 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of West What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West) 📜Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance languages ( ouest in French, oest in Catalan, ovest in Italian, vest in Romanian, oeste in Spanish and Portuguese). As in other languages, the word formation stems from the fact that west is the direction of the setting sun in the evening: 'west' derives from the Indo-European root \*wes reduced from \*wes-pero 'evening, night', cognate with Ancient Greek ἕσπερος hesperos 'evening; evening star; western' and Latin vesper 'evening; west'. Examples of the same formation in other languages include Latin occidens 'west' from occidō 'to go d [![Wikipedia thumbnail for West](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a0/Compass_Rose_English_West.svg/330px-Compass_Rose_English_West.svg.png)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West) 📖 ## The Story of West West first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 13 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2026, when 145 Wests were born — ranking #1,327 that year. As of 2026, West ranks #1,327 for baby boys with 145 births, rising sharply (+50% over the past five years). In total, more than 4K Wests have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s 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 🎶 ## Names that sound like West Phonetically similar names — useful when West is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * Weste * Wast * Wist * Wiste * Wust * Waste * Waist * Wost * Weist * Weast * Weest * Woest Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about West What does the name West mean? West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. How popular is West in 2026? In 2026, West ranks #1,327 among boys' names in the U.S., with 145 babies given the name that year. When was West most popular? West reached its peak popularity in 2026, ranking #383 that year with 145 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is West most popular? West has historically been most popular in Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named West. Is West a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, West is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name. What names go well with West? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with West include Pierce, Rollie, Palmer. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names [👧AirePeak #11069](/aire)[👧GeorgiamaePeak #11069](/georgiamae)[👧NitsaPeak #11069](/nitsa)[👧MahnazPeak #11069](/mahnaz)[👧WinnyPeak #11069](/winny)[👧AlayniePeak #11069](/alaynie)[👧DibaPeak #11069](/diba)[👧ArleniPeak #11069](/arleni) ## About the name West West is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 4K births in the dataset. West's peak popularity came in 2026 when it ranked #383\. Use the chart and map above to compare West's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Names of the 2020s → ](/decade/2020s) * [ Names starting with "W" → ](/letter/w) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). 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.