Porcia
Feminine form of the Roman surname derived from porcus, referring to pigs.
Name Census estimates that about 158 living Americans carry the first name Porcia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Porcia today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Porcia births was 1990 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Porcia. 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
158
~ 1 in 2,169,331 Americans
Peak year
1990
18 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
1996 SSA rank
#13,037
Tracked since 1968
Popularity
Porcia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Porcia from the 1960s through to the 1990s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 84 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Porcia remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Porcia 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 Porcia 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 Porcia
The name Porcia has its origins in ancient Rome, deriving from the Latin word "porcus," which means "pig." It was initially a family name or cognomen used by the prestigious Porcia gens, a Roman patrician family. The name's connection to pigs is believed to stem from the family's involvement in the pig trade or their ownership of lands where pigs were raised.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Porcia is its association with the Roman noblewoman Porcia Catonis, who lived in the 1st century BC. She was the daughter of Marcus Porcius Cato Uticensis, a famous Roman statesman and philosopher, and was known for her virtues, including her exceptional loyalty to her husband, Marcus Junius Brutus, one of the assassins of Julius Caesar.
Another notable figure from ancient history bearing the name Porcia was Porcia Longa, a Roman noblewoman who lived in the 2nd century BC. She was the daughter of Marcus Porcius Cato the Elder, a renowned Roman statesman and author, and was known for her dedication to virtue and traditional Roman values.
In the 16th century, the name Porcia gained prominence through the character of Portia in William Shakespeare's play "The Merchant of Venice." Portia, the wealthy heiress and the play's heroine, was a highly intelligent and resourceful woman who played a pivotal role in the play's events.
In the 19th century, Porcia Guadagni (1768-1843) was an Italian singer and composer who gained fame for her operatic performances and compositions. She was considered one of the most accomplished female musicians of her time.
Another notable figure with the name Porcia was Porcia Nefertari (1909-1987), an Italian archaeologist and Egyptologist who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Egyptian civilization. She was particularly known for her work in excavating and preserving the tomb of Queen Nefertari, the wife of Pharaoh Ramesses II.
While the name Porcia has its roots in ancient Roman culture, it has been used across various cultures and time periods, often associated with individuals who have made significant contributions in fields such as politics, literature, music, and archaeology.
People
Porcia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Porcia as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Porcia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Porcia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 158 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Porcia 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 2,169,331 US residents.
Is Porcia a common name?
We classify Porcia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 167 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Porcia most popular?
The single biggest year for Porcia was 1990, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Porcia is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Porcia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Porcia 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.