Narcissus
A masculine name derived from Greek mythology, meaning excessively self-admiring.
Name Census estimates that about 21 living Americans carry the first name Narcissus. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Narcissus today is around 85 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Narcissus births was 1919 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Narcissus. 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 Narcissus is about 85 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Narcissus' were born before 1951.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Narcissus. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
21
~ 1 in 16,321,635 Americans
Peak year
1919
16 babies that year
Average age
85
years old
1961 SSA rank
#6,353
Tracked since 1881
Census
Narcissus in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 136 people with the first name Narcissus, which placed it at #47,733 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#47,733
National first-name rank
People counted
136
136 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
62.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Narcissus
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Narcissus is Black at 62.5%. The next largest groups are White (12.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Narcissus described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Narcissus at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American62.5% · 85
- White12.5% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.6% · 13
- Two or more races5.9% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.4% · 6
Popularity
Narcissus: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Narcissus from the 1880s through to the 1960s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 75 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Narcissus 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 Narcissus 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 Narcissus
The given name Narcissus has its origins in Greek mythology and literature, derived from the ancient Greek word "νάρκισσος" (narkissos), which refers to the narcissus flower. The name is particularly associated with the tragic figure of Narcissus from Ovid's "Metamorphoses," a renowned work of Roman poetry dating back to the 1st century AD.
In Greek mythology, Narcissus was a handsome young man who fell in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. His vanity and self-absorption ultimately led to his demise, as he wasted away gazing at his reflection. This tragic story has become a symbol of excessive self-love and vanity, and the narcissus flower is said to have sprung from where Narcissus died.
The name Narcissus first gained popularity in ancient Greek and Roman societies, where it was given to newborn boys as a reflection of the mythological figure. It continued to be used throughout the classical period and into the Middle Ages, particularly in regions with strong Greek and Roman cultural influences.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Narcissus was a Christian martyr from the 3rd century AD, who was beheaded during the reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian. Another notable figure was Narcissus of Jerusalem, a 2nd-century bishop and saint in the early Christian church.
During the Renaissance and Baroque periods, the name Narcissus experienced a resurgence in popularity, particularly in artistic and literary circles. This was likely due to the renewed interest in classical Greek and Roman literature and mythology during this time.
Some notable individuals named Narcissus throughout history include:
1. Narcissus of Tralles (fl. 2nd century AD), a Greek philosopher and mathematician known for his works on geometry and algebra.
2. Narcissus (fl. 3rd century AD), a Christian martyr executed during the Diocletian persecution.
3. Narcissus of Jerusalem (c. 99-216 AD), a 2nd-century bishop and saint in the early Christian church.
4. Narcissus Marsh (1638-1713), an English philosopher and clergyman who served as the provost of Trinity College, Dublin.
5. Narcissus Luttrell (1657-1732), an English historian and bibliophile known for his extensive collection of pamphlets and manuscripts chronicling the history of his time.
While the name Narcissus has its roots in Greek mythology and ancient literature, it has transcended its origins and has been used across various cultures and time periods, often reflecting the enduring influence of classical Greek and Roman culture on Western civilization.
People
Narcissus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Narcissus as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Narcissus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Narcissus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 21 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Narcissus 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 16,321,635 US residents.
Is Narcissus a common name?
We classify Narcissus as "Very Rare". It ranks above 40.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 318 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Narcissus most popular?
The single biggest year for Narcissus was 1919, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Narcissus is about 85 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Narcissus in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 136 people with the name Narcissus, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #47,733 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Narcissus in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Narcissus?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Narcissus leans strongly female. 112 people counted with this name were female (82.4%), compared with 24 male bearers (17.6%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Narcissus?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Narcissus is Black at 62.5%. The next largest groups are White (12.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Narcissus most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Narcissus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.5% (85 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Narcissus in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Narcissus a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Narcissus 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.
Is Narcissus still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Narcissus 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 Narcissus 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.
How many people are named Narcissus?
Find out how many people have the name Narcissus on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.