Cutler
Derived from the occupational surname for a maker of knives.
Name Census estimates that about 992 living Americans carry the first name Cutler. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Cutler today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cutler births was 2014 (66 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cutler. 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
992
~ 1 in 345,518 Americans
Peak year
2014
66 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,876
Tracked since 1985
Popularity
Cutler: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cutler from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 440 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Cutler remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cutler 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 Cutler during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Cutlers live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. Utah, Georgia, Texas recorded the most babies named Cutler, while North Carolina, Illinois, Colorado recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 13 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cutler
The name Cutler has its origins in the Old English language, derived from the word "cultere," which means "knife-maker" or "cutter." This name is believed to have emerged in the Middle Ages, around the 11th or 12th century, when it was initially used as an occupational surname for those who crafted knives and other cutting tools.
During the medieval period, the name Cutler was primarily associated with the skilled trade of cutlery-making, which was an essential profession in those times. As towns and cities grew, the demand for skilled artisans increased, leading to the establishment of guilds and the rise of occupational surnames like Cutler.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cutler can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and wealth in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This historical document mentions individuals with the surname Cutler, indicating that the name was already in use by that time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Cutler. One of the most famous was Sir Gervase Cutler (1505-1555), an English merchant and diplomat who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1537. Another prominent figure was Nathaniel Cutler (1619-1675), an English clergyman and one of the founders of Yale College in Connecticut.
In the realm of literature, the name Cutler is associated with Sir John Cutler (1608-1693), an English financier and Member of Parliament, who was satirized by Samuel Butler in his famous poem "Hudibras" for his excessive vanity and pretentiousness.
Moving forward in time, Benjamin Cutler (1769-1857) was an American manufacturer and inventor who played a significant role in the early industrialization of the United States. He is credited with developing the first machine for mass-producing nails in America.
Another notable figure was Manasseh Cutler (1742-1823), an American clergyman and pioneer who was instrumental in the settlement of the Northwest Territory, now known as the state of Ohio. He led a group of settlers from New England and negotiated the purchase of land from the federal government, laying the foundation for the state's development.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have carried the name Cutler, reflecting its rich heritage and connection to the skilled trade of cutlery-making and craftsmanship.
People
Cutler + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cutler 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
Cutler: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cutler?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 992 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cutler 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 345,518 US residents.
Is Cutler a common name?
We classify Cutler as "Very Rare". It ranks above 90.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,003 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cutler most popular?
The single biggest year for Cutler was 2014, when 66 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cutler is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Cutler a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cutler 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.