Homer
English form of Greek Homeros, borne by the poet credited with the Iliad and the Odyssey; as an ordinary word it meant hostage or pledge.
Homer in 2025
Homer was given to 21 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 10,075th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 157,873 babies born.
The history of Homer
Homer reached its highest point in 1920, when 1,734 babies were given the name, ranking 243rd that year. Its best-ever ranking was 180th, in 1880.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 61,279 babies have been named Homer. Half of them were born before 1926, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Greatest Generation.
Homer by decade
| Decade | Babies named Homer | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 2,213 | 180 |
| 1890s | 2,647 | 203 |
| 1900s | 2,921 | 241 |
| 1910s | 11,551 | 226 |
| 1920s | 15,297 | 243 |
| 1930s | 9,472 | 311 |
| 1940s | 6,995 | 402 |
| 1950s | 4,617 | 604 |
| 1960s | 2,502 | 965 |
| 1970s | 1,308 | 1,347 |
| 1980s | 747 | 2,051 |
| 1990s | 363 | 3,604 |
| 2000s | 207 | 6,890 |
| 2010s | 256 | 7,551 |
| 2020s | 183 | 6,733 |
Where Homer is heading
Homer has fallen 30% over the past decade, from 30 babies in 2015 to 21 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1920 peak — Homer is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Homer
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Homer.