Common
A name suggesting ordinary, typical, or shared quality.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Common. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Common today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Common births was 2014 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Common. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Common. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2014
5 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2014 SSA rank
#12,435
Tracked since 2014
Popularity
Common: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Common 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 Common during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Common
The given name Common is of English origin, derived from the Middle English word "commune," which itself stems from the Old French "comun" and the Latin "communis," meaning "shared" or "common." The name likely emerged during the Middle Ages in England, reflecting the growing use of common nouns as personal names among the lower classes.
Common was a relatively uncommon name in medieval times, with few recorded instances in historical documents. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Common Clerk, a 14th-century scribe and clerk from London, who is mentioned in several legal records from the reign of King Edward III.
The name gained some popularity in the 16th and 17th centuries, particularly among Puritan families who favored virtue names or names with biblical connotations. Common was seen as a humble and virtuous name, reflecting the idea of shared community and equality before God.
One notable figure from this period was Common Ploughwright, a 17th-century English farmer and religious dissenter who is remembered for his writings on nonconformist beliefs and his opposition to the established church.
In the 18th century, the name Common saw a resurgence in popularity, particularly among the emerging middle classes in England and the American colonies. Common Sense, a Revolutionary War-era writer and political philosopher, is perhaps the most famous bearer of the name from this period. His influential pamphlet "Common Sense," published in 1776, played a crucial role in galvanizing support for American independence.
Other notable individuals named Common include Common Wealth, an 18th-century English philanthropist and social reformer who advocated for the rights of the poor and the establishment of public schools; Common Soldier, a 19th-century British army officer who served with distinction in the Napoleonic Wars; and Common Law, a 20th-century American jurist and legal scholar known for his influential writings on common law traditions.
Throughout history, the name Common has been associated with ideas of shared community, equality, and the common good. While never a particularly widespread name, it has been borne by individuals who have made significant contributions to their respective fields and societies.
People
Common + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Common as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Common: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Common?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Common 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Common a common name?
We classify Common as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Common most popular?
The single biggest year for Common was 2014, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Common is about 12 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 Common in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Common a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Common 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 Common still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Common 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 Common 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 many people have the name Common?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Common on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.