Favor
A feminine name derived from the Latin word meaning goodwill or kindness.
Name Census estimates that about 612 living Americans carry the first name Favor. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 78.9% of registrations being female. The average person named Favor today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Favor births was 2022 (41 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Favor. 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
612
~ 1 in 560,056 Americans
Peak year
2022
41 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,488
Tracked since 2002
Gender
Gender distribution for Favor
Favor is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 617 total registrations, 130 (21.1%) were male and 487 (78.9%) were female.
Favor as a male name
- Ranked #9,241 in 2024
- 8 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2011 (14 births)
Favor as a female name
- Ranked #4,488 in 2024
- 31 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2021 (31 births)
Popularity
Favor: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Favor from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 300 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Favor remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Favor 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 Favor during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Favors live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, North Carolina, Maryland recorded the most babies named Favor, while Maryland, North Carolina, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Favor
The name Favor is derived from the Latin word "favor," which means "kindness" or "goodwill." It has its roots in ancient Roman culture, where the concept of favor was closely tied to the gods and their perceived benevolence towards mortals.
In the early days of Christianity, the name Favor gained popularity as a symbolic representation of divine grace and favor bestowed upon believers. It was often used as a name for children, expressing the hope that they would receive God's blessings and protection throughout their lives.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Favor can be found in the Codex Theodosianus, a compilation of Roman laws dating back to the 5th century AD. In this text, a certain Flavius Favor is mentioned as a high-ranking official in the imperial court.
During the Middle Ages, the name Favor was relatively uncommon, but it did appear in various historical records and chronicles. One notable individual bearing this name was Favor de Valois, a French nobleman who lived in the 13th century and served as a knight in the court of King Louis IX.
As the Renaissance period dawned, the name Favor experienced a resurgence in popularity, particularly among the wealthy and educated classes. One of the most famous individuals with this name was Favor Delano, an Italian Renaissance poet and scholar born in 1490. His works, which celebrated the beauty of nature and the divine order, were widely acclaimed during his lifetime.
In the 17th century, the Puritan movement in England and America led to a renewed interest in biblical names, including Favor. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the New World was Favor Ingraham, a Puritan settler who arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638.
Another notable figure in history who bore the name Favor was Favor Mills, an English clergyman and author born in 1625. He wrote extensively on theological subjects and was known for his strong defense of Protestantism during the tumultuous religious conflicts of the time.
As the centuries passed, the name Favor remained relatively uncommon, but it continued to be bestowed upon individuals in various parts of the world. One famous bearer of the name was Favor Keenan, an Irish-American actress born in 1890, who achieved success on the Broadway stage in the early 20th century.
People
Favor + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Favor as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Favor: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Favor?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 612 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Favor 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 560,056 US residents.
Is Favor a common name?
We classify Favor as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 617 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Favor most popular?
The single biggest year for Favor was 2022, when 41 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Favor is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Favor a female name?
Yes, 78.9% of people registered as Favor 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.