Horizon
Meaning looked towards or referring to the line separating earth from sky.
Name Census estimates that about 144 living Americans carry the first name Horizon. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 80.7% of registrations being female. The average person named Horizon today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Horizon births was 2021 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Horizon. 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
144
~ 1 in 2,380,238 Americans
Peak year
2021
24 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,103
Tracked since 2001
Gender
Gender distribution for Horizon
Horizon leans heavily female at 80.7% of total registrations, but 28 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Horizon as a male name
- Ranked #12,956 in 2024
- 5 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2021 (6 births)
Horizon as a female name
- Ranked #8,103 in 2024
- 13 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2021 (18 births)
Popularity
Horizon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Horizon from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 79 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Horizon 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 Horizon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Horizon
The name Horizon has its roots in the English language, originating in the late 16th century. It is derived from the Greek word "ὁρίζων" (horizōn), meaning "the circle that separates the earth from the sky." This word itself is a combination of "ὁρίζων" (horizōn), meaning "limiting" or "separating," and the verb "ὁρίζειν" (horizein), meaning "to bound" or "to mark the limits of."
The earliest recorded use of the name Horizon dates back to the late 16th century. It was initially used as a descriptive term for the apparent line separating the earth and sky. Over time, it gradually transitioned into being used as a given name, likely inspired by its poetic and evocative imagery.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Horizon was Horizon Van Suylen, a Dutch explorer born in 1602. He was known for his extensive travels across the Dutch East Indies, documenting the natural landscapes and cultures he encountered.
In the 19th century, Horizon Blavatsky (1831-1891) gained prominence as a Russian occultist and founder of the Theosophical Society. Her writings and teachings on theosophy, which combined elements of Eastern and Western philosophy, had a significant influence on the New Age movement.
Another notable figure was Horizon Reed (1887-1964), an American painter and illustrator renowned for his landscape paintings depicting the vast horizons of the American West. His works captured the beauty and grandeur of the natural scenery, reflecting the name's symbolic association with the line separating earth and sky.
In the field of literature, Horizon Trevanian (1925-2005) was the pen name of Rodney William Whitaker, an American author best known for his novel "The Eiger Sanction." His choice of the name Horizon reflected the intellectual and philosophical themes present in his writing.
More recently, Horizon Arwen (born 1982) is a German singer and songwriter known for her eclectic style that blends elements of folk, rock, and world music. Her unique name reflects her artistic pursuit of exploring diverse musical horizons.
While the name Horizon may not have an extensive historical record, its symbolic connection to the natural world and its poetic imagery have inspired its use as a given name throughout the centuries. Its meaning evokes a sense of boundless possibilities and the exploration of new frontiers, making it a captivating choice for those seeking a name with depth and significance.
People
Horizon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Horizon 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
Horizon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Horizon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 144 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Horizon 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 2,380,238 US residents.
Is Horizon a common name?
We classify Horizon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 145 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Horizon most popular?
The single biggest year for Horizon was 2021, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Horizon is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Horizon a female name?
Yes, 80.7% of people registered as Horizon 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.