Feather
A light and buoyant plume, symbolizing delicacy and grace.
Name Census estimates that about 530 living Americans carry the first name Feather. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Feather today is around 32 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Feather births was 1977 (56 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Feather. 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
530
~ 1 in 646,706 Americans
Peak year
1977
56 babies that year
Average age
32
years old
2023 SSA rank
#13,985
Tracked since 1974
Popularity
Feather: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Feather from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 145 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Feather 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 Feather during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Feathers live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Oklahoma, Florida recorded the most babies named Feather, while Florida, Oklahoma, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 15 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Feather
The name Feather has its origins in the Old English word "fether," which referred to the feathers of birds. This word was derived from the Proto-Germanic "*fethro," which had a similar meaning. The name likely emerged as a descriptive name or nickname during the Anglo-Saxon period, given to individuals who were associated with feathers in some way, such as hunters or feather-workers.
The earliest recorded use of Feather as a given name dates back to the 13th century in England. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Feather de Houghton, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Yorkshire in 1284.
In the Middle Ages, the name Feather was occasionally used in religious contexts. For instance, a nun named Feather is mentioned in the records of St. Mary's Abbey in Winchester, England, circa 1400.
During the Renaissance period, the name Feather gained some popularity among English Puritans, who favored names with symbolic or metaphorical meanings from nature. One notable bearer of this name was Feather Grenville (1585-1647), an English Puritan minister and author.
In the 17th century, the name Feather was also used in colonial America. Feather Weston (1618-1699) was an early settler in Massachusetts Bay Colony and a prominent figure in the town of Reading.
Another historical figure with this name was Feather Muir (1780-1856), a Scottish botanist and explorer who made significant contributions to the study of plant life in Australia and the Pacific region.
In more recent times, Feather Buchanan (1913-2007) was an American artist and sculptor known for her abstract expressionist works, particularly her large-scale outdoor sculptures made from various materials, including feathers.
While not as common today, the name Feather has been used throughout history, drawing inspiration from the natural world and carrying symbolic meanings related to lightness, freedom, and the beauty of birds.
People
Feather + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Feather 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
Feather: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Feather?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 530 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Feather 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 646,706 US residents.
Is Feather a common name?
We classify Feather as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 554 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Feather most popular?
The single biggest year for Feather was 1977, when 56 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Feather is about 32 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Feather a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Feather 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.