Porter
An English occupational surname for a gatekeeper or a carrier of loads, from Old French terms resting on Latin porta, gate, and portare, to carry.
Porter in 2025
Porter was given to 599 babies in the United States in 2025 — 531 boys and 68 girls, making it the 1,010th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 5,535 babies born.
The history of Porter
Porter reached its highest point in 2015, when 921 babies were given the name, ranking 724th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 522nd, in 1880.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 21,801 babies have been named Porter. Half of them were born before 2011, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation Z.
Porter by decade
| Decade | Babies named Porter | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 274 | 522 |
| 1890s | 269 | 766 |
| 1900s | 277 | 918 |
| 1910s | 903 | 1,068 |
| 1920s | 982 | 1,222 |
| 1930s | 655 | 1,450 |
| 1940s | 559 | 1,620 |
| 1950s | 473 | 2,125 |
| 1960s | 339 | 2,863 |
| 1970s | 241 | 3,704 |
| 1980s | 257 | 4,461 |
| 1990s | 751 | 1,909 |
| 2000s | 4,139 | 973 |
| 2010s | 7,667 | 724 |
| 2020s | 4,015 | 821 |
Where Porter is heading
Porter has fallen 35% over the past decade, from 921 babies in 2015 to 599 in 2025.
Names like Porter
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Porter.