Atlas
Atlas was the 75th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 4,413 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 412 places. More babies were named Atlas in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin uncertain · Greek
Say it AT-luhs /ˈætləs/
- Rank in 2025
- #75 boys, up 113 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 4,413boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20254,413 babies
- Total since 1880
- 27,226babies recorded
What does the name Atlas mean?
Atlas is the Titan of Greek myth whom Zeus condemned to hold up the sky; Wiktionary notes that a book of maps is called an atlas because the mapmaker Mercator named his collection after him, and the Atlas Mountains of North Africa bear his name too. Wiktionary gives two possible origins for the Greek name: a root meaning 'to bear, endure', fitting his punishment, or a pre-Greek word of unknown meaning. Wikipedia notes its recent rise as a first name with other mythological names, and a separate Ashkenazi surname Atlas from a word for satin.
Ἄτλας (Ancient Greek, “Atlas, the Titan”)*telh₂- (Proto-Indo-European, “to bear, endure (proposed)”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. The 'bearer, enduring one' reading depends on one proposed root; a pre-Greek origin is also possible.
Related names: Atlee.
See also: Greek names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Atlas', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wiktionary, entry 'atlas', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Atlas (name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Atlas popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,333 since 1910, 145 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #75 | 4,413 |
| 2020 | #188 | 2,054 |
| 2010 | #1,575 | 100 |
| 2000 | #7,496 | 8 |
| 1990 | #8,204 | 5 |
| 1980 | #4,165 | 9 |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | #3,361 | 7 |
| 1950 | #3,345 | 6 |
| 1940 | #3,160 | 6 |
| 1930 | #1,759 | 18 |
| 1920 | #2,141 | 15 |
| 1910 | #1,204 | 8 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | #893 | 6 |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Atlas, counting every spelling?
Atlas has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #83 for boys in 2025, against #75 on the official list, because Kayden/Kaiden/Caden and Nicholas/Nicolas and Cameron/Kameron/Kameren move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Atlas?
4,413 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Atlas (1.22 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Atlas born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 43. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 2 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Atlas.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Atlas?
About 25,300 people born in the US named Atlas are alive today, with a median age of 4; half are between 2 and 7. That makes Atlas a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Atlas by state
How common Atlas was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Hawaii (3.6×), Alaska (3.1×), West Virginia (2.8×), Wyoming (2.7×), Maine (2.2×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in District of Columbia, New Jersey, Massachusetts.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Atlas: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Atlas, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Atlas · Sibling names for Atlas
Questions about the name Atlas
What does Atlas mean?
The origin of Atlas is uncertain: the 'bearer, enduring one' reading depends on one proposed root; a pre-Greek origin is also possible.
How popular is the name Atlas?
Atlas was the 75th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 4,413 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 412 places. More babies were named Atlas in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Atlas a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Atlas in the US.
Where is Atlas most popular?
In 2021–2025, Atlas was most common in Hawaii (6.89 per 1,000 boys), followed by Alaska and West Virginia.