Sirius
The brightest star in the constellation Canis Major.
Name Census estimates that about 689 living Americans carry the first name Sirius. It is a predominantly male name (99.3% of registrations). The average person named Sirius today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sirius births was 2022 (61 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sirius. 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
689
~ 1 in 497,466 Americans
Peak year
2022
61 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,657
Tracked since 1999
Gender
Gender distribution for Sirius
Out of the 694 babies given the name Sirius since 1880, 99.3% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Sirius as a male name
- Ranked #2,657 in 2024
- 50 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (61 births)
Sirius as a female name
- Ranked #18,504 in 2016
- 5 female births in 2016
- Peak: 2016 (5 births)
Popularity
Sirius: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sirius from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 324 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Sirius remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sirius 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 Sirius during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sirius' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, Texas, Ohio recorded the most babies named Sirius, while Michigan, Georgia, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sirius
The given name Sirius has its origins in ancient Greek mythology and astronomy. It is derived from the Greek word "seirios" which means "scorching" or "glowing". This name was used to refer to the brightest star in the night sky, known as the Dog Star or Sirius.
The name Sirius has been recorded in ancient Greek texts and astronomical records dating back to the 8th century BC. In Greek mythology, Sirius was associated with the dog Orion, who was known as a skilled hunter. The appearance of Sirius in the night sky was believed to bring scorching heat and drought.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Sirius was Sirius of Alexandria, a 4th-century AD Greek philosopher and mathematician. He is known for his work on the calculation of the circumference of the Earth and for his contributions to the study of geometry.
Another notable figure named Sirius was Sirius of Pavia, a 7th-century Italian monk and scholar. He is best known for his writings on theology and for his role in the establishment of the Benedictine monastic order.
In the 16th century, Sirius Paulinus was a Danish astronomer and mathematician. He made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and was involved in the development of the Gregorian calendar.
Sirius Tanner was an English Puritan minister and theologian who lived in the 17th century. He was known for his influential sermons and writings on religious topics.
In more recent history, Sirius Black was a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series by J.K. Rowling. He was an important member of the Order of the Phoenix and served as a godfather to the protagonist, Harry Potter.
While the name Sirius has ancient roots and has been used throughout history, it has remained relatively uncommon as a given name, likely due to its strong association with the celestial body and its meaning related to heat and scorching.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Sirius
People
Sirius + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sirius as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Sirius: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sirius?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 689 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sirius 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 497,466 US residents.
Is Sirius a common name?
We classify Sirius as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 694 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sirius most popular?
The single biggest year for Sirius was 2022, when 61 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sirius is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Sirius a male name?
Yes, 99.3% of people registered as Sirius 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.