Storm
A gender-neutral name of English origin relating to a turbulent atmospheric disturbance.
Name Census estimates that about 6,020 living Americans carry the first name Storm. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 57.3% of registrations being male. The average person named Storm today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Storm births was 2022 (249 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Storm. 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 Storm with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Storm sits in rare territory as a truly gender-neutral name, given to boys and girls in near-equal numbers.
People living today
6.0K
~ 1 in 56,936 Americans
Peak year
2022
249 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,621
Tracked since 1946
Census
Storm in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 4,537 people with the first name Storm, which placed it at #4,205 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#4,205
National first-name rank
People counted
4.5K
4,537 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
60.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Storm
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Storm is White at 60.5%. The next largest groups are Black (17.2%) and Hispanic (9.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Storm described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Storm at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.5% · 2,746
- Black or African American17.2% · 782
- Hispanic or Latino9.1% · 413
- Two or more races9.1% · 411
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 122
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 63
Gender
Gender distribution for Storm
Storm is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 6,168 total registrations, 3,534 (57.3%) were male and 2,634 (42.7%) were female.
Storm as a male name
- Ranked #1,870 in 2024
- 86 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1995 (165 births)
Storm as a female name
- Ranked #1,621 in 2024
- 128 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (143 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Storm on both sides of the split. Of the 4,530 people counted with this name, 2,732 were male (60.3%) and 1,798 were female (39.7%).
Popularity
Storm: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Storm from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 1,900 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Storm remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Storm 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 Storm during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Storms live
The SSA's state-level files cover 23 states and territories. Ohio, New York, California recorded the most babies named Storm, while Kentucky, Minnesota, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 103 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Storm
The name Storm is an English name derived from the Old English word "storm," which means a violent disturbance of the atmosphere with wind and rain or snow. The name is believed to have originated in the late 16th or early 17th century, as it was not commonly used before that time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Storm can be found in the 1599 play "Every Man Out of His Humour" by Ben Jonson, where a character is referred to as "Storm the Litster." The name was likely inspired by the powerful and turbulent nature of storms, representing strength and intensity.
In the 17th century, the name Storm was occasionally used as a first name, particularly in English-speaking countries. One notable bearer of the name was Storm van der Chijs (1666-1701), a Dutch naval officer and explorer who served in the Dutch East India Company.
The name gained more popularity in the 19th century, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One of the most famous was Storm Jameson (1891-1986), an English writer and critic who was a prominent figure in the literary circles of her time.
Another notable bearer of the name was Storm Bull (1876-1942), a Norwegian explorer and ethnographer who conducted extensive research on the indigenous peoples of the Arctic regions. His work contributed significantly to the understanding of these cultures.
In the 20th century, the name Storm continued to be used, although it remained relatively uncommon. One notable bearer was Storm Thorgerson (1944-2013), an English graphic designer best known for his work with the rock band Pink Floyd, creating iconic album covers such as "The Dark Side of the Moon."
The name Storm has also been used as a middle name or a surname, but its usage as a first name has been more prevalent, particularly in English-speaking countries. While not among the most popular names, it has maintained a presence throughout history, often associated with strength, intensity, and a connection to the natural world.
People
Storm + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Storm 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
Storm: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Storm?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6,020 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Storm 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 56,936 US residents.
Is Storm a common name?
We classify Storm as "Rare". It ranks above 96.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6,168 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Storm most popular?
The single biggest year for Storm was 2022, when 249 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Storm is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Storm in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 4,537 people with the name Storm, or 1.50 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #4,205 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Storm in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Storm?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Storm on both sides of the split. Of the 4,530 people counted with this name, 2,732 were male (60.3%) and 1,798 were female (39.7%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Storm?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Storm is White at 60.5%. The next largest groups are Black (17.2%) and Hispanic (9.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Storm most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Storm in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.5% (2,746 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Storm in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Storm a male name?
Yes, 57.3% of people registered as Storm 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 Storm still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Storm 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 Storm 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.
How many people are called Storm?
You can see how many Americans are named Storm on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.