Porter
Porter was the 560th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 531 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 275th; the most babies were born in 2015 (862). Over the last ten years it has moved down 183 places. More babies were named Porter in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning doorkeeper; or carrier (surname) · English, French, Latin
Say it POR-ter /ˈpɔrtər/
- Rank in 2025
- #560 boys, down 136 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 531boys
- Girls and boys
- 11% girls, 89% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2015862 babies
- Total since 1880
- 21,801babies recorded
What does the name Porter mean?
Porter is an English occupational surname that became a first name. Two medieval jobs gave the same word. One porter kept a door or gate, from Old French portier, built on porte, door (Latin porta, gate). The other carried loads, from Anglo-Norman portour, from Latin portare, to carry. Both reached English through the Normans, and for a given family it is usually impossible to say which job an ancestor held. It has been used as a boys' first name in the US since the 19th century.
portier (Old French, “doorkeeper”)porta (Latin, “gate, door”)portare (Latin, “to carry”)
How sure is this? Well established. Both origins are well attested; which one applies to a particular family is usually unknown.
Related names: Portier.
See also: English names, names from occupations.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Porter' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th ed., entry 'porter' (etymology), HarperCollins / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Porter popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,578 | #560 | 68 | 531 |
| 2020 | #2,846 | #424 | 58 | 707 |
| 2010 | #7,433 | #447 | 17 | 602 |
| 2000 | #12,812 | #803 | 7 | 201 |
| 1990 | — | #2,074 | — | 36 |
| 1980 | — | #2,596 | — | 19 |
| 1970 | — | #1,571 | — | 30 |
| 1960 | — | #1,516 | — | 29 |
| 1950 | — | #944 | — | 54 |
| 1940 | — | #798 | — | 61 |
| 1930 | — | #707 | — | 78 |
| 1920 | — | #571 | — | 120 |
| 1910 | — | #437 | — | 40 |
| 1900 | — | #465 | — | 25 |
| 1890 | — | #349 | — | 26 |
| 1880 | — | #275 | — | 38 |
How popular is Porter, counting every spelling?
Porter has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #559 for boys in 2025, against #560 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Porter?
531 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Porter (0.15 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Porter 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 16 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Porter.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Porter?
About 16,800 people born in the US named Porter are alive today, with a median age of 13; half are between 8 and 20. That makes Porter 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.
Porter by state
How common Porter was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in North Dakota (6.0×), Utah (4.2×), South Dakota (3.4×), Idaho (2.9×), Kansas (2.5×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Jersey, New York, New Mexico.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Porter: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Porter, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Porter · Sibling names for Porter
Questions about the name Porter
What does Porter mean?
Porter means “doorkeeper; or carrier (surname)” (English, French, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Porter?
Porter was the 560th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 531 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 275th; the most babies were born in 2015 (862). Over the last ten years it has moved down 183 places. More babies were named Porter in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Porter a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 11% girls, 89% boys given the name Porter in the US.
Where is Porter most popular?
In 2021–2025, Porter was most common in North Dakota (1.99 per 1,000 boys), followed by Utah and South Dakota.