Horrace
A masculine name derived from the Latin name Horatius or Quintus Horatius Flaccus.
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Horrace. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Horrace today is around 82 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Horrace births was 1918 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Horrace. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Horrace is about 82 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Horraces were born before 1954.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Horrace. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
1918
9 babies that year
Average age
82
years old
1952 SSA rank
#3,533
Tracked since 1915
Popularity
Horrace: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Horrace from the 1910s through to the 1950s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 31 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Horrace 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 Horrace 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 Horrace
The name Horrace has its origins in the Latin language, derived from the word "hora," which means "hour" or "time." It is believed to have emerged during the Roman era, around the 1st century AD.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Horrace can be found in ancient Roman texts, where it was used as a cognomen, or a third name, in the Roman naming system. The Roman poet and satirist, Quintus Horatius Flaccus, better known as Horace, was born in 65 BC and is considered one of the most renowned figures to bear this name in antiquity.
During the Middle Ages, the name Horrace fell out of use, but it resurfaced during the Renaissance period, particularly in Italy and France. In the 16th century, the French philosopher and writer, Horace Désangles, was born in 1505 and is credited with helping to popularize the name in Europe.
In the 17th century, the English philosopher and writer, Horace Walpole, was born in 1717. He is best known for his Gothic novel "The Castle of Otranto" and for coining the term "serendipity." Another notable figure from this era was Horace Mann, an American educational reformer, born in 1796, who played a crucial role in establishing the common school movement in the United States.
The 19th century saw the rise of several influential figures named Horace, including Horace Greeley, an American newspaper editor and founder of the New-York Tribune, born in 1811. Horace Wells, an American dentist and pioneer in the use of anesthesia, was born in 1815 and made significant contributions to the field of dentistry.
In the 20th century, Horace Pippin, an African American painter known for his depictions of World War I, was born in 1888 and is considered a significant figure in American art history. Horace Heidt, an American bandleader and musician, was born in 1901 and enjoyed a successful career in the entertainment industry.
Overall, the name Horrace has a rich historical background, spanning from its Latin origins to its resurgence during the Renaissance and its continued use throughout the centuries. It has been borne by various notable figures across different fields, including literature, philosophy, education, art, and entertainment.
People
Horrace + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Horrace 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
Horrace: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Horrace?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Horrace 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 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Horrace a common name?
We classify Horrace as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 73 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Horrace most popular?
The single biggest year for Horrace was 1918, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Horrace is about 82 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Horrace in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Horrace a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Horrace 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.
Is Horrace still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Horrace in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Horrace can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Horrace?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.