Fontaine
From French, meaning "fountain" or "spring of water".
Name Census estimates that about 270 living Americans carry the first name Fontaine. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 59.3% of registrations being male. The average person named Fontaine today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fontaine births was 1972 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fontaine. 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
270
~ 1 in 1,269,461 Americans
Peak year
1972
16 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,183
Tracked since 1922
Gender
Gender distribution for Fontaine
Fontaine is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 337 total registrations, 200 (59.3%) were male and 137 (40.7%) were female.
Fontaine as a male name
- Ranked #10,183 in 2024
- 7 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1978 (13 births)
Fontaine as a female name
- Ranked #14,172 in 1995
- 5 female births in 1995
- Peak: 1963 (10 births)
Popularity
Fontaine: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fontaine from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 77 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
Fontaine 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 Fontaine during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Fontaines live
Origin
Meaning and history of Fontaine
The name Fontaine originates from the French language and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "fontaine," which means "fountain" or "spring." The name likely originated as a descriptive surname for someone who lived near a fountain or spring.
In medieval France, surnames often arose from geographical features, occupations, or personal characteristics. The name Fontaine was likely initially used to identify individuals who lived near a notable fountain or spring, which were important sources of fresh water in those times.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fontaine can be found in the 13th-century French epic poem, "La Chanson de Roland," which mentions a character named Fontaine. This suggests that the name was in use as a surname or descriptive name during the Middle Ages.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Fontaine. For example, Jean de La Fontaine (1621-1695) was a celebrated French fabulist and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. His fables, which often featured anthropomorphized animals, are still widely read and studied today.
Another famous bearer of the name was Françoise Fontaine (1667-1736), a French writer and playwright who wrote several plays and novels during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Her works often explored themes of love, marriage, and social critique.
In the 19th century, Eugène Fontaine (1824-1887) was a French architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Palais Garnier (Paris Opera House) and the Hotel de Ville (City Hall).
More recently, Joan Fontaine (1917-2013) was an American actress who won an Academy Award for her role in the 1941 film "Suspicion." She was also known for her performances in several Alfred Hitchcock films, including "Rebecca" and "Vertigo."
Another notable bearer of the name was François Fontaine (1799-1838), a French artist and illustrator who is best known for his work on the French edition of "The Arabian Nights" and other illustrated books in the early 19th century.
While the name Fontaine has French origins, it has been adopted and used in various cultures and languages over the centuries, reflecting its rich history and the diverse individuals who have borne this name.
People
Fontaine + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fontaine 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
Fontaine: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fontaine?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 270 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fontaine 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 1,269,461 US residents.
Is Fontaine a common name?
We classify Fontaine as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 337 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fontaine most popular?
The single biggest year for Fontaine was 1972, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fontaine is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Fontaine a male name?
Yes, 59.3% of people registered as Fontaine 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.