Holding steady, #6,446 for boys today.
Popularity of Worth since 1880
Babies named Worth per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1918, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Worth's real moment was 1898.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 45 |
| 1890s | 76 |
| 1900s | 67 |
| 1910s | 415 |
| 1920s | 489 |
| 1930s | 303 |
| 1940s | 216 |
| 1950s | 165 |
| 1960s | 100 |
| 1970s | 60 |
| 1980s | 56 |
| 1990s | 13 |
| 2000s | 31 |
| 2010s | 79 |
| 2020s | 89 |
Meaning & origin
Worth is a rare masculine given name with origins in the English surname, likely derived from Old English 'worð' meaning 'enclosure' or 'homestead'. Its first recorded use as a first name dates to 1880, when the Social Security Administration began tracking names. Worth reached its peak popularity in 1898, during the 1890s decade, but has since become uncommon. As of 2025, it ranks 6,446th, with approximately 1 in 131,390 babies receiving the name. The trajectory has remained stable, neither declining nor rising sharply. Worth never appeared among the top state lists, indicating its use was scattered geographically. Despite its rarity, Worth carries a straightforward, surname-as-first-name quality that may appeal to parents seeking an underused vintage name.
Worth is a rare masculine given name derived from an English surname, which in turn comes from Old English 'worð' meaning 'enclosure' or 'homestead'. The surname was originally topographic, used for someone who lived near a fenced enclosure. As a first name, it saw modest use in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, peaking in the 1890s, but has become uncommon since the mid-20th century.
Sibling names for Worth
Names that share Worth's style, for a brother or sister.
