Blake
Blake was the 316th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,080 babies. Its best year was 2012, when it ranked 71st with 6,047 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 220 places. More babies were named Blake in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning Meaning disputed · Old English, Irish
Say it BLAYK /bleɪk/
- Rank in 2025
- #316 boys, down 107 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,080boys
- Girls and boys
- 49% girls, 51% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20126,047 babies
- Total since 1880
- 206,623babies recorded
What does the name Blake mean?
Blake is an English surname with two opposite possible meanings. Wiktionary and Wikipedia both explain that it may come from Old English blaec, 'black, dark', a nickname for someone with dark hair or skin, or from blac, 'pale, fair, shining', a nickname for someone pale; the two words looked alike. Wiktionary adds an Irish source, Ó Bláthmhaic. As a first name it is used for both boys and girls.
blæc (Old English, “black, dark”)blāc (Old English, “pale, fair, shining”)
How sure is this? Disputed. Sources give 'dark' and 'pale' as equal possibilities.
Related names: Blakely, Blaike.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Blake', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Blake (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Blake popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #295 | #316 | 1,035 | 1,080 |
| 2020 | #222 | #209 | 1,319 | 1,815 |
| 2010 | #1,035 | #87 | 241 | 4,703 |
| 2000 | #1,115 | #80 | 183 | 5,143 |
| 1990 | #935 | #91 | 203 | 4,103 |
| 1980 | #2,442 | #237 | 39 | 971 |
| 1970 | #3,593 | #353 | 17 | 526 |
| 1960 | — | #380 | — | 431 |
| 1950 | — | #595 | — | 131 |
| 1940 | — | #1,160 | — | 33 |
| 1930 | — | #1,336 | — | 29 |
| 1920 | — | #977 | — | 50 |
| 1910 | — | #1,051 | — | 10 |
| 1900 | — | #1,335 | — | 5 |
| 1890 | — | #1,020 | — | 5 |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Blake, counting every spelling?
Blake has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #324 for boys in 2025, against #316 on the official list, because Bryan/Brian/Bryon and Kason/Kasen/Casen and Mohamed/Mohammad/Mohammed move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Blake?
1,080 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Blake (0.30 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Blake born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 8 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Blake.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Blake?
About 178,600 people born in the US named Blake are alive today, with a median age of 24; half are between 15 and 34. That makes Blake mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Blake by state
How common Blake was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Michigan (2.6×), North Dakota (2.5×), New Hampshire (2.3×), Maine (2.3×), West Virginia (2.2×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Mexico, Alaska, Texas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Blake: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Blake, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Blake · Sibling names for Blake
Questions about the name Blake
What does Blake mean?
The meaning of Blake is disputed: sources give 'dark' and 'pale' as equal possibilities.
How popular is the name Blake?
Blake was the 316th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,080 babies. Its best year was 2012, when it ranked 71st with 6,047 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 220 places. More babies were named Blake in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Blake a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 49% girls, 51% boys given the name Blake in the US.
Where is Blake most popular?
In 2021–2025, Blake was most common in Michigan (2.19 per 1,000 boys), followed by North Dakota and New Hampshire.