December
Derived from the Latin word "decem", indicating the tenth month of the year.
Name Census estimates that about 1,541 living Americans carry the first name December. It is a predominantly female name (99.3% of registrations). The average person named December today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of December births was 2012 (46 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for December. 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
1.5K
~ 1 in 222,423 Americans
Peak year
2012
46 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2022 SSA rank
#5,172
Tracked since 1960
Gender
Gender distribution for December
Out of the 1,597 babies given the name December since 1880, 99.3% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
December as a male name
- Ranked #12,779 in 2022
- 5 male births in 2022
- Peak: 2016 (6 births)
December as a female name
- Ranked #5,172 in 2024
- 25 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2012 (46 births)
Popularity
December: popularity over time
The SSA tracks December from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 363 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, December remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
December 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 December during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Decembers live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Texas, California, Ohio recorded the most babies named December, while Illinois, Missouri, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of December
The name December is English in origin and derives from the Latin word "December", which was the tenth month of the ancient Roman calendar. The name itself means "the tenth month" and was given to the twelfth month when the Roman calendar was reformed by Julius Caesar in 46 BCE. The old Latin word "decem" meaning "ten" is the root of the name.
December appears in numerous historical texts and records from ancient Rome, such as the writings of Cicero, Livy, and Pliny the Elder. It is also mentioned in the Bible's Book of Esther, where it is referred to as the month of Tebeth. However, December was not commonly used as a given name until much later in history.
One of the earliest recorded examples of December being used as a first name is December Barnes, an English Puritan who was born in 1617 and died in 1698. He was a controversial figure who was jailed multiple times for his religious beliefs and writings.
Another notable individual with the first name December is December Bride (1773-1846), a Native American woman from the Muscogee Creek Nation. She was a respected leader and activist who fought for the rights of her people during the forced relocation known as the Trail of Tears.
In the 19th century, December Wilmont (1839-1919) was an American author and poet who wrote several books of poetry and prose. She was also a prominent advocate for women's rights and suffrage.
December Carson (1920-2005) was an American jazz singer and actress who performed in the 1940s and 1950s. She was known for her unique vocal style and appeared in several films during the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Finally, December Stevens (born 1949) is an American actress and model who has appeared in numerous television shows and films since the 1970s. Some of her most notable roles include parts in the TV series "Melrose Place" and "The Commish".
People
December + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with December as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
December: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named December?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,541 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for December 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 222,423 US residents.
Is December a common name?
We classify December as "Rare". It ranks above 92.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,597 babies have been registered with this name.
When was December most popular?
The single biggest year for December was 2012, when 46 babies received the name. The fact that the average living December is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is December a female name?
Yes, 99.3% of people registered as December in the SSA data are female. 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.