Porter

Porter - A very unique male name

Porter appeared on the charts for the first time in 1910 on position #446. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Porter and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Porter? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Porter. The baby boy name Porter was given to 502 baby boys in 2025, ranking #557 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 2,921 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Porter peaked in popularity 12 years ago in 2014 on position 367.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Porter, 1-5?

Porter is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Porter is currently topping the baby name charts in Utah at position #197 - and is the least popular in California at position #927.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Porter is where you live.

---

Comment and discuss

---

Porter origin and meaning

English occupational surname

Gatekeeper; from Old French portier, 'doorkeeper, gatekeeper'

Porter began as an occupational surname for a gatekeeper or carrier and moved into first-name use in the early 1900s. It peaked for boys in 2014 and has been falling since, keeping a preppy, tailored feel.

Attested etymology

Porter is a 6 letter name with 2 syllables.

To see famous people named Porter, pop culture references for the name Porter and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Porter

We've found the following names that sound similar to Porter, sorted by popularity.

---

Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Porter

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Porter a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Porter?

2 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

---

Pronunciation

POR-ter · /ˈpɔrtər/

Around the world

No traditional forms in other languages — this name was created in America in our own time.

Famous bearers

None yet — no bearer for this name is documented well enough for us to list, so we show none rather than pad the list.

Style

OccupationalSurname

Why parents choose it

Parents choose Porter for its crisp, professional surname style. It fits the surname-as-first-name taste while staying relatively uncommon.

Worth knowing

• Also a style of beer and a word for a carrier — associations some families notice