Socrates
Derived from ancient Greek, meaning "sound mind" or "whole mind".
Name Census estimates that about 499 living Americans carry the first name Socrates. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Socrates today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Socrates births was 1922 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Socrates. 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
499
~ 1 in 686,882 Americans
Peak year
1922
17 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2022 SSA rank
#7,688
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Socrates: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Socrates from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 113 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
Socrates 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 Socrates during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Socrates' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. New York, California, Massachusetts recorded the most babies named Socrates, while Massachusetts, California, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 17 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Socrates
The name Socrates is of Greek origin, derived from the combination of the Greek words "sōkratos" meaning "whole" or "unwounded" and "kratos" meaning "power" or "strength". It has its roots in ancient Athens, dating back to the 5th century BCE.
Socrates was the name of the famous classical Greek philosopher, born in 470 BCE in Athens. He is one of the founders of Western philosophy and is renowned for his contributions to ethics, epistemology, and logic. His teachings were preserved by his students, particularly Plato, in the form of dialogues, making him one of the most influential figures in the history of Western thought.
In ancient Greek literature, the name Socrates appears in various works, including Plato's dialogues, such as "The Republic" and "Apology", as well as in the writings of other ancient Greek philosophers and historians like Xenophon and Aristophanes. These works provide insights into the life and teachings of the philosopher Socrates, and the significance of his name in the context of his philosophical ideas.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Socrates, including:
1. Socrates of Constantinople (380-438 CE), a Christian scholar and ecclesiastical historian from Constantinople.
2. Socrates Scholasticus (fl. 5th century CE), a Byzantine Greek Christian church historian from Constantinople.
3. Socrates of Argos (2nd century BCE), a Greek sculptor and architect from Argos.
4. Socrates of Alexandria (3rd century CE), a Neoplatonic philosopher and teacher in Alexandria, Egypt.
5. Socrates Tzimiskes (920-976 CE), a Byzantine emperor who reigned from 976 to 976 CE.
The name Socrates has been widely recognized and celebrated for its association with the great philosopher, and it has endured as a symbol of wisdom, rationality, and ethical inquiry throughout the centuries.
People
Socrates + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Socrates 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
Socrates: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Socrates?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 499 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Socrates 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 686,882 US residents.
Is Socrates a common name?
We classify Socrates as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 725 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Socrates most popular?
The single biggest year for Socrates was 1922, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Socrates is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Socrates a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Socrates 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.