Maple
Derived from the maple tree, representing strength and endurance.
Name Census estimates that about 2,053 living Americans carry the first name Maple. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Maple today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maple births was 2024 (199 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maple. 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
2.1K
~ 1 in 166,953 Americans
Peak year
2024
199 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
1917 SSA rank
#1,188
Tracked since 1896
Gender
Gender distribution for Maple
Out of the 3,060 babies given the name Maple since 1880, 99.8% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Maple as a male name
- Ranked #4,341 in 1917
- 5 male births in 1917
- Peak: 1917 (5 births)
Maple as a female name
- Ranked #1,188 in 2024
- 199 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (199 births)
Popularity
Maple: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maple from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 836 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
Maple 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 Maple during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Maples live
The SSA's state-level files cover 28 states and territories. California, Louisiana, Mississippi recorded the most babies named Maple, while Virginia, New Jersey, Idaho recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 44 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Maple
The name Maple has its origins in the Old English word "mapol," which referred to the maple tree. This word, in turn, can be traced back to the Proto-Germanic "mapuraz" and the Proto-Indo-European root "mel-," meaning "honey-sweet tree." The name likely emerged as a descriptive term for someone who lived near a maple grove or worked with maple wood or syrup.
In the early Middle Ages, the name Maple was occasionally used as a surname or byname in England, reflecting a person's association with the maple tree or their place of residence near a maple grove. However, it did not gain widespread use as a given name until more recent centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of Maple as a given name dates back to the late 16th century, when a Maple Myles was born in Gloucestershire, England, in 1590. In the 17th century, a Maple Leigh was recorded in Lancashire, England, in 1632.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the name Maple. One of the earliest was Maple Bateman (1647-1712), an English Quaker minister and writer. Another early example is Maple Brock (1692-1768), an English landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Chippenham.
In more recent times, Maple Granger (1851-1931) was a Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and was a prominent advocate for women's suffrage. Maple Couchman (1907-1992) was an American actress and vaudeville performer known for her work in the Broadway musical "George White's Scandals."
Another notable figure was Maple Leaf Gardens (1921-1999), a Canadian professional wrestler and promoter whose ring name paid homage to Canada's national symbol. Maple Edmondson (1906-1992) was an American botanist and academic who made significant contributions to the study of plant ecology and conservation.
While the name Maple is not as common as some other nature-inspired names, it has a rich history and evocative connections to the natural world, particularly in the English-speaking regions where it has been used over the centuries.
People
Maple + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maple as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Maple: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maple?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,053 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maple 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 166,953 US residents.
Is Maple a common name?
We classify Maple as "Rare". It ranks above 93.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,060 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maple most popular?
The single biggest year for Maple was 2024, when 199 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maple is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Maple a female name?
Yes, 99.8% of people registered as Maple 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.