Starling
A name derived from the starling bird, symbolizing freedom and good fortune.
Name Census estimates that about 653 living Americans carry the first name Starling. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 82.0% of registrations being male. The average person named Starling today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Starling births was 2023 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Starling. 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
653
~ 1 in 524,892 Americans
Peak year
2023
32 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,730
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Starling
Starling leans heavily male at 82.0% of total registrations, but 217 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Starling as a male name
- Ranked #10,730 in 2024
- 7 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1920 (26 births)
Starling as a female name
- Ranked #14,995 in 2024
- 6 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (18 births)
Popularity
Starling: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Starling from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 155 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Starling remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Starling 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 Starling during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Starlings live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Georgia, New York, Kentucky recorded the most babies named Starling, while North Carolina, Kentucky, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Starling
The name Starling has its origins in Old English, deriving from the word "stær" meaning "starling" – the small, iridescent bird. This name emerged in the early medieval period and was likely used as a descriptive surname, referring to someone with a perceived resemblance to the starling bird, perhaps due to their appearance or mannerisms.
While not explicitly mentioned in ancient texts or religious scriptures, the name carries a connection to nature and the natural world, reflecting the naming traditions of Anglo-Saxon cultures. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the late 12th century, with records showing individuals bearing the surname "Starling" in various parts of England.
One notable historical figure who bore this name was John Starling, a 16th-century English politician and Member of Parliament for Hereford. He lived from around 1530 to 1599 and served during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another individual of note was Sir Samuel Starling, a 17th-century English physician and anatomist who made significant contributions to the understanding of the lymphatic system. He lived from 1597 to 1667.
In the literary realm, the name gained prominence through the character of Starling, a schoolboy in Thomas Hughes' novel "Tom Brown's School Days," published in 1857. This work depicted life at Rugby School in the early 19th century and helped popularize the name.
Moving into the 20th century, one notable bearer of the name was Sir Charles Starling, a British businessman and philanthropist who lived from 1890 to 1984. He made significant contributions to the development of the aircraft industry and was knighted for his services.
Another individual of historical significance was Starling Loving, an American lawyer and civil rights activist who lived from 1927 to 2008. He played a pivotal role in the landmark Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia, which struck down laws prohibiting interracial marriage in the United States.
While not as common as some other names, Starling has a rich history and a unique connection to nature, literature, and various fields of human endeavor.
People
Starling + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Starling 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
Starling: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Starling?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 653 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Starling 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 524,892 US residents.
Is Starling a common name?
We classify Starling as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,204 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Starling most popular?
The single biggest year for Starling was 2023, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Starling is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Starling a male name?
Yes, 82.0% of people registered as Starling 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.