Horatio
Of Latin origin, meaning "timekeeper" or "horologer."
Name Census estimates that about 907 living Americans carry the first name Horatio. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Horatio today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Horatio births was 2007 (40 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Horatio. 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
907
~ 1 in 377,899 Americans
Peak year
2007
40 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,296
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Horatio: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Horatio from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 173 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Horatio 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 Horatio during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Horatios live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Texas, New York, California recorded the most babies named Horatio, while Georgia, Pennsylvania, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 12 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Horatio
The name Horatio has its origins in the Latin language, derived from the word "Horatius," which was the surname of a prominent Roman family. It is believed to have been derived from the Latin word "hora," meaning "hour" or "time." This suggests that the name may have originally been associated with ideas of timeliness or punctuality.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Horatio can be found in ancient Roman literature, particularly in the works of the Roman poet Quintus Horatius Flaccus, better known as Horace. He lived from 65 BC to 8 BC and his literary works, including odes and satires, made a significant contribution to the development of Roman literature.
The name Horatio gained widespread recognition in the English-speaking world through the famous character of Horatio in William Shakespeare's play "Hamlet," written around 1601. Horatio is a close friend of Prince Hamlet and serves as a voice of reason and moral support throughout the play.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Horatio was Horatio Nelson, the celebrated British naval officer who lived from 1758 to 1805. He is renowned for his leadership and victories in numerous naval battles, including the Battle of Trafalgar, where he was mortally wounded.
Another notable figure was Horatio Gates, an American general who lived from 1728 to 1806. He played a crucial role in the American Revolutionary War, most notably winning the Battle of Saratoga, which is considered a turning point in the conflict.
In the realm of literature, Horatio Alger Jr. (1832-1899) was an American writer best known for his novels portraying young protagonists who overcome adversity through hard work and determination, earning him a place in popular culture with the phrase "Horatio Alger story."
Horatio Greenough (1805-1852) was a renowned American sculptor and the first American to gain recognition for his neoclassical sculptures, including his famous work "The Rescue."
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Horatio, a name with a rich cultural heritage and associations with timeliness, literature, and military valor.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Horatio
People
Horatio + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Horatio as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Horatio: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Horatio?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 907 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Horatio 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 377,899 US residents.
Is Horatio a common name?
We classify Horatio as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,437 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Horatio most popular?
The single biggest year for Horatio was 2007, when 40 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Horatio is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Horatio a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Horatio 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.