Ptolemy
A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "aggressive; warrior".
Name Census estimates that about 50 living Americans carry the first name Ptolemy. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ptolemy today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ptolemy births was 2016 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ptolemy. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Ptolemy with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ptolemy. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
50
~ 1 in 6,855,087 Americans
Peak year
2016
9 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2023 SSA rank
#13,670
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Ptolemy: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ptolemy from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 22 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Ptolemy remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ptolemy 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 Ptolemy 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 Ptolemy
The name Ptolemy has its origins in the ancient Greek language. It is derived from the Greek words "polemos" meaning "war" and "mache" meaning "battle". The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the 4th century BC.
The name Ptolemy gained widespread recognition and prominence due to the Ptolemaic dynasty, a Greek royal family that ruled over Egypt from 305 BC to 30 BC. The dynasty was founded by Ptolemy I Soter, a companion of Alexander the Great, who became the ruler of Egypt after Alexander's death.
Ptolemy I Soter (367 BC - 283 BC) was the first ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty and is considered one of the most influential figures in the Hellenistic period. He established the city of Alexandria, which became a major center of Greek culture and learning.
Another notable figure bearing the name Ptolemy was Ptolemy II Philadelphus (309 BC - 246 BC), the son of Ptolemy I Soter. He was known for his patronage of arts, literature, and science, and during his reign, the Library of Alexandria flourished.
One of the most famous individuals with the name Ptolemy was Ptolemy, the renowned astronomer, mathematician, and geographer who lived in Alexandria during the 2nd century AD. He is best known for his work, the "Almagest," which was a comprehensive treatise on astronomy and became a foundational text in the field for centuries.
Ptolemy VI Philometor (186 BC - 145 BC) was another notable ruler from the Ptolemaic dynasty. He faced numerous challenges during his reign, including conflicts with his brother and the intervention of the Roman Republic in Egyptian affairs.
In the realm of literature, Ptolemy of Mauretania (1st century AD) was a grammarian and scholar who wrote extensively on the works of Homer and other ancient Greek texts.
The name Ptolemy has a rich history rooted in the ancient Greek world, with its association with the Ptolemaic dynasty and the renowned astronomer and mathematician Ptolemy. It has been borne by influential rulers, scholars, and intellectuals throughout the centuries, leaving an indelible mark on various fields of study and human civilization.
People
Ptolemy + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ptolemy 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
Ptolemy: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ptolemy?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 50 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ptolemy 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 6,855,087 US residents.
Is Ptolemy a common name?
We classify Ptolemy as "Very Rare". It ranks above 54.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 50 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ptolemy most popular?
The single biggest year for Ptolemy was 2016, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ptolemy is about 11 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 Ptolemy in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ptolemy a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ptolemy 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 Ptolemy still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ptolemy 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 Ptolemy 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 many people have Ptolemy as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.