Solace
A feminine name of Latin origin meaning comfort or consolation.
Name Census estimates that about 386 living Americans carry the first name Solace. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 54.0% of registrations being female. The average person named Solace today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Solace births was 2023 (33 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Solace. 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
386
~ 1 in 887,965 Americans
Peak year
2023
33 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,399
Tracked since 1999
Gender
Gender distribution for Solace
Solace is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 389 total registrations, 179 (46.0%) were male and 210 (54.0%) were female.
Solace as a male name
- Ranked #6,399 in 2024
- 14 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (19 births)
Solace as a female name
- Ranked #11,976 in 2024
- 8 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2015 (16 births)
Popularity
Solace: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Solace 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 191 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Solace remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Solace 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 Solace 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 Solace
The name Solace finds its origins in the Late Latin word "solacium," which means comfort or consolation. It first emerged as a given name during the medieval period, around the 12th century, in parts of Europe such as England and France.
Solace was initially used as a symbolic name, representing the idea of finding solace or comfort in difficult times. It was often given to children born during periods of hardship or turmoil, as a reminder of the hope for better days ahead.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Solace was in the 13th century, when it appeared in the writings of the English monk and historian, Matthew Paris. He mentioned a woman named Solace who lived in the village of Dunstable.
In the 15th century, Solace gained some recognition as the name of a character in the medieval morality play, "The Castle of Perseverance." This allegorical play depicted the struggles of the human soul against temptation and sin.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Solace. One such person was Solace Soulier (1654-1730), a French Catholic nun who founded the Sisters of the Visitation in Grenoble, France.
Another individual of note was Solace Williams (1784-1862), an English artist and engraver who was known for his intricate landscapes and architectural etchings.
In the 19th century, Solace Frost (1836-1905) was an American poet and writer who published several collections of verse, including "Twilight Idylls" and "Poems of Home and Travel."
Solace Hartzog (1892-1978) was an American educator and civil rights activist who worked tirelessly to promote equal educational opportunities for African American students in the segregated South.
More recently, Solace Faramola (1928-2009) was a Nigerian playwright and novelist whose works explored themes of cultural identity and the struggles of post-colonial Africa.
While not a common name, Solace has endured throughout the centuries as a symbolic representation of comfort and hope, often given to those born during challenging times or circumstances.
People
Solace + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Solace 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
Solace: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Solace?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 386 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Solace 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 887,965 US residents.
Is Solace a common name?
We classify Solace as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 389 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Solace most popular?
The single biggest year for Solace was 2023, when 33 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Solace is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Solace a female name?
Yes, 54.0% of people registered as Solace 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.