Acre
An uncommon variant of the name Akira, of Japanese origin meaning "radiant" or "bright."
Name Census estimates that about 121 living Americans carry the first name Acre. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Acre today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Acre births was 2022 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Acre. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Acre with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
121
~ 1 in 2,832,680 Americans
Peak year
2022
32 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,414
Tracked since 2019
Popularity
Acre: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Acre from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 113 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Acre by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Acre during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Acre
The given name Acre is derived from the Latin word "ager," which means "field" or "land." It is believed to have originated in ancient Rome, where it was used as a surname for those who worked in agriculture or owned land. The name gained popularity during the Middle Ages, particularly in regions where Latin was widely spoken or studied.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Acre can be found in the writings of the ancient Roman historian Tacitus, who mentioned a Roman soldier named Acre in his work "Annals." The name also appears in various medieval records and documents, indicating its use across different parts of Europe during that time period.
In the 12th century, a notable figure named Acre lived in England. He was a monk and scholar known for his contributions to the field of theology. Another individual named Acre was a French knight who participated in the Crusades during the 13th century.
During the Renaissance, the name Acre became associated with humanist scholars and intellectuals. One notable example is the Italian writer and philosopher Acre Poliziano, who lived from 1454 to 1494 and was renowned for his works on classical literature and philosophy.
In the 17th century, a Dutch artist named Acre van Ostade gained recognition for his paintings depicting everyday life and genre scenes. He was born in 1610 and died in 1685.
Another individual with the name Acre was the French mathematician and astronomer Acre de Gassendi, who lived from 1592 to 1655. He made significant contributions to the fields of philosophy and science, including the study of the solar system and the development of the scientific method.
People
Acre + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Acre as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Acre: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Acre?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 121 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Acre going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,832,680 US residents.
Is Acre a common name?
We classify Acre as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 122 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Acre most popular?
The single biggest year for Acre was 2022, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Acre is about 4 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Acre in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Acre a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Acre in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Acre still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Acre in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Acre can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Acre?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Acre at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.