Ontario
A name derived from the Iroquoian word "kanadario", meaning beautiful lake or sparkling water.
Name Census estimates that about 846 living Americans carry the first name Ontario. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ontario today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ontario births was 1991 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ontario. 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
846
~ 1 in 405,147 Americans
Peak year
1991
35 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,601
Tracked since 1967
Popularity
Ontario: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ontario from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 225 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ontario 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 Ontario during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ontarios live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Ontario, while South Carolina, North Carolina, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 11 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ontario
The name Ontario is derived from the Iroquoian word "Onitariio," which means "beautiful lake." This name was given by the Iroquois people, an Indigenous group native to the region around the Great Lakes in North America. The Iroquois were a powerful confederacy of several tribes, including the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca.
The name Ontario first appeared in written records in the early 17th century, when French explorers and missionaries encountered the Iroquois and learned about the region they called Onitariio. It referred specifically to the area around Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes that separates modern-day Canada and the United States.
In 1610, French explorer Étienne Brûlé was the first European to document the name Ontario in his writings, describing it as the "beautiful lake" or "the lake of shining waters." The name quickly gained popularity among European settlers and mapmakers, who began using it to refer to the lake and the surrounding territory.
While the name Ontario has its roots in the Iroquoian language, it has been adopted and used by various cultures throughout history. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Ontario was Ontario Butler (1811-1880), a prominent American lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Congress from New York.
Another notable person named Ontario was Ontario Woodworth (1828-1904), an American businessman and politician who served as a Member of Congress from New York. He was also a prominent figure in the Union Army during the American Civil War, serving as a colonel and leading troops in several major battles.
In the 20th century, Ontario Watson (1901-1989) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader who worked with many famous musicians, including Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. He played an important role in the development of jazz music in the United States.
Ontario Smith (1919-2008) was a Canadian politician and teacher who served as a Member of Parliament in Canada and was actively involved in promoting education and social justice issues.
Finally, Ontario Gentry (1929-2018) was an American baseball player who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cincinnati Reds in the 1950s. He was a versatile player who could play multiple positions and was known for his speed and defensive skills.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Ontario, which has its origins in the Iroquoian language and culture and has been adopted and used by various groups and communities over time.
People
Ontario + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ontario as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with O
Other first names starting with O with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ontario: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ontario?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 846 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ontario 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 405,147 US residents.
Is Ontario a common name?
We classify Ontario as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 877 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ontario most popular?
The single biggest year for Ontario was 1991, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ontario is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ontario a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ontario 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.