Baron
A masculine name derived from the German word "baron", meaning "military nobleman".
Name Census estimates that about 6,217 living Americans carry the first name Baron. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Baron today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Baron births was 2008 (196 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Baron. 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.
People living today
6.2K
~ 1 in 55,132 Americans
Peak year
2008
196 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,506
Tracked since 1912
Popularity
Baron: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Baron from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 1,389 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Baron remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Baron 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 Baron during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Barons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 35 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Baron, while Colorado, Arkansas, Alabama recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 86 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Baron
The name Baron is derived from the Old French word "baron", which originally meant a feudal lord, a man of rank and authority. The word itself is thought to have its roots in the Late Latin word "baro", meaning a man or servant.
In the early Middle Ages, a baron was a tenant who held land directly from the king or another overlord in return for military service. The title of baron was first used in England during the Norman Conquest in the 11th century, when William the Conqueror rewarded his loyal followers with lands and titles.
The name Baron can be traced back to ancient times, with records of it appearing in various historical texts and documents. In the Bible, the name is mentioned in the Book of Nehemiah, where Baruch is listed as one of the builders of the walls of Jerusalem.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Baron dates back to the 12th century, with Baron de Montmorency, a French nobleman and crusader who participated in the Third Crusade. Another notable figure was Baron von Richthofen, better known as the Red Baron, a German fighter pilot during World War I who achieved widespread fame for his combat skills.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Baron, including:
1. Baron de Rothschild (1744-1810), a German banker and the founder of the Rothschild banking dynasty.
2. Baron Pierre de Coubertin (1863-1937), a French educator and the founder of the modern Olympic Games.
3. Baron Manfred von Richthofen (1892-1918), the famous German fighter pilot known as the Red Baron during World War I.
4. Baron Roman Ungern von Sternberg (1886-1921), a Russian military leader and warlord who briefly controlled parts of Mongolia and China.
5. Baron Philippe Pétain (1856-1951), a French military leader who became the chief of state of Vichy France during World War II.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Baron throughout history, reflecting its rich heritage and associations with nobility, military prowess, and leadership.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Baron
People
Baron + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Baron as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Baron: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Baron?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6,217 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Baron 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 55,132 US residents.
Is Baron a common name?
We classify Baron as "Rare". It ranks above 97% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6,924 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Baron most popular?
The single biggest year for Baron was 2008, when 196 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Baron is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Baron a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Baron 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.
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.