Horace
Horace was the 6245th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 14 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 79th; the most babies were born in 1921 (1,313). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,906 places. More babies were named Horace in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin uncertain · Latin, Etruscan
Say it HOR-is /ˈhɔrəs/
- Rank in 2025
- #6,245 boys, down 1,134 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 14boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19211,313 babies
- Total since 1880
- 54,356babies recorded
What does the name Horace mean?
Horace is the English form of Horatius, the name of an old Roman family. Where that name came from is unclear; it may be Etruscan. The name is famous through the Augustan poet Quintus Horatius Flaccus (65–8 BC), whom English speakers call Horace. Classical names like this were popular in 18th- and 19th-century Britain and America, and Horace was a common American first name from the 19th century into the 1920s. Horatio is a related form.
Horatius (Latin, “Roman family name of unknown origin”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. The Roman family name Horatius has no agreed meaning.
Related names: Horatio, Horacio, Orazio.
See also: Latin names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Horace', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Horace (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Horace popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 202 since 1914.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #6,245 | 14 |
| 2020 | #5,111 | 18 |
| 2010 | #3,748 | 28 |
| 2000 | #1,806 | 60 |
| 1990 | #1,035 | 105 |
| 1980 | #793 | 122 |
| 1970 | #520 | 241 |
| 1960 | #386 | 419 |
| 1950 | #251 | 687 |
| 1940 | #199 | 661 |
| 1930 | #158 | 973 |
| 1920 | #128 | 1,276 |
| 1910 | #123 | 261 |
| 1900 | #97 | 244 |
| 1890 | #103 | 162 |
| 1880 | #79 | 199 |
How popular is Horace, counting every spelling?
Horace is the most common spelling of a name family that had 26 boys in 2025 across its spellings. Together these spellings went to 26 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horace | 14 | #6,245 | 89 |
| Horus | 12 | #6,946 | 50 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Horace?
14 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Horace (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Horace 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 596 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Horace.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Horace?
About 14,300 people born in the US named Horace are alive today, with a median age of 68; half are between 54 and 77. That makes Horace 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.
Horace by state
How common Horace was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 49 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Horace: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Horace, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Horace
What does Horace mean?
The origin of Horace is uncertain: the Roman family name Horatius has no agreed meaning.
How popular is the name Horace?
Horace was the 6245th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 14 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 79th; the most babies were born in 1921 (1,313). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,906 places. More babies were named Horace in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Horace a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Horace in the US.
Where is Horace most popular?
In 2021–2025, Horace was most common in Maine (0.26 per 1,000 boys), followed by Georgia and Georgia.