Holding steady.
Popularity of Doctor since 1880
Babies named Doctor per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1920, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Doctor's real moment was 1884.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 65 |
| 1890s | 65 |
| 1900s | 14 |
| 1910s | 96 |
| 1920s | 97 |
| 1930s | 36 |
| 1940s | 0 |
| 1950s | 6 |
| 1960s | 0 |
| 1970s | 0 |
| 1980s | 0 |
| 1990s | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Doctor is one of the rarest names in U.S. Social Security records. Its first recorded use was in 1880, and its peak usage came in 1884, but even then the number of children given the name was so low that the name never achieved a rank in the top 1000. The name's trajectory is stable, meaning it has never seen a significant rise or revival. Unlike occupational surnames that became given names (e.g., Taylor, Mason), Doctor has never caught on as a first name, likely because it carries a strong association with the medical profession rather than a family name. No top states show a concentration of Doctor births, indicating that its use is scattered and extremely rare. For parents considering an aspirational title as a name, Doctor remains a nearly unique choice.
Doctor is derived from the Latin 'docere' meaning 'to teach'. It was adopted into English as a title for learned professionals. As a given name it is extremely rare, typically used as a middle name or aspirational choice rather than a traditional first name.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Doc
Sibling names for Doctor
Names that share Doctor's style, for a brother or sister.
