George
George was the 126th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 2,848 babies. Its best year was 1881, when it ranked 4th; the most babies were born in 1921 (27,476). Over the last ten years it has moved up 9 places. More babies were named George in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning farmer, earth-worker · Greek
Say it JORJ /dʒɔrdʒ/
- Rank in 2025
- #126 boys, up 6 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 2,848boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 192127,476 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,497,260babies recorded
What does the name George mean?
George comes from the Greek Georgios, built on georgos, 'farmer', literally 'earth-worker', from ge, 'earth', and ergon, 'work'. Its fame comes from Saint George, a soldier-martyr of the early 4th century whom DMNES calls the patron saint of many European countries, best known for the legend of slaying a dragon. Wikipedia notes that the name may first have honored Zeus Georgos, a farming title of the god. Wikipedia notes that the name gained popularity in the 4th century through the cult of Saint George, and Geordie and Georgie are among its pet forms.
γεωργός (Ancient Greek, “farmer”)γῆ (Ancient Greek, “earth”)ἔργον (Ancient Greek, “work”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Georgia, Georgina, Jorge, Giorgio, Georg, Yuri, Geordie.
See also: Greek names, names from occupations.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'George', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Wiktionary, entry 'George', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'George (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for George
The usual nicknames for George are Georgie. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named George in the last five years, fewer than 1 were named Georgie, against fewer than 1 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgie · also for Georgia, Georgina | Traditional | #5,688 | 70 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Georges go by each one.
George popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 9,963 since 1880, 5 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #126 | 2,848 |
| 2020 | #132 | 2,775 |
| 2010 | #165 | 2,374 |
| 2000 | #130 | 3,037 |
| 1990 | #79 | 4,567 |
| 1980 | #60 | 5,300 |
| 1970 | #40 | 8,911 |
| 1960 | #33 | 14,063 |
| 1950 | #20 | 20,183 |
| 1940 | #11 | 18,315 |
| 1930 | #8 | 22,788 |
| 1920 | #6 | 26,891 |
| 1910 | #5 | 5,441 |
| 1900 | #4 | 5,403 |
| 1890 | #4 | 4,458 |
| 1880 | #5 | 5,126 |
How popular is George, counting every spelling?
George has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #131 for boys in 2025, against #126 on the official list, because Kayden/Kaiden/Caden and Elliot/Elliott/Eliot and Kayson/Kaison/Kaysen move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name George?
2,848 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named George (0.79 per 1,000 births). For a boy named George 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 3 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named George.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named George?
About 530,300 people born in the US named George are alive today, with a median age of 63; half are between 43 and 75. That makes George a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
George by state
How common George was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in District of Columbia (5.6×), New Hampshire (2.5×), Maine (2.4×), Vermont (2.4×), Massachusetts (2.1×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in West Virginia, Arizona, Texas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with George: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like George, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for George · Sibling names for George
Questions about the name George
What does George mean?
George means “farmer, earth-worker” (Greek origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name George?
George was the 126th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 2,848 babies. Its best year was 1881, when it ranked 4th; the most babies were born in 1921 (27,476). Over the last ten years it has moved up 9 places. More babies were named George in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is George a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name George in the US.
Where is George most popular?
In 2021–2025, George was most common in District of Columbia (9.01 per 1,000 boys), followed by New Hampshire and Maine.