Traci
A feminine name of Latin origin meaning "unconquered".
Name Census estimates that about 46,286 living Americans carry the first name Traci. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Traci today is around 52 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Traci births was 1970 (3,871 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Traci. 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.
Key insights
- • Although Traci is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 233 boys registered with the name since 1880.
- • Compared to the 1970s, recent registration numbers for Traci have dropped to less than 5% of what they once were.
People living today
46K
~ 1 in 7,405 Americans
Peak year
1970
3,871 babies that year
Average age
52
years old
2004 SSA rank
#10,993
Tracked since 1945
Gender
Gender distribution for Traci
Out of the 52,405 babies given the name Traci since 1880, 99.6% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Traci as a male name
- Ranked #11,226 in 2004
- 6 male births in 2004
- Peak: 1970 (17 births)
Traci as a female name
- Ranked #10,993 in 2024
- 9 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1970 (3,854 births)
Popularity
Traci: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Traci from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 20,780 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Traci 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 Traci during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tracis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. California, Texas, Ohio recorded the most babies named Traci, while Delaware, Vermont, Rhode Island recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 983 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Traci
The name Traci is a feminine given name that is derived from the Latin name Tracia, which referred to the historical region of Thrace, located in southeastern Europe. Thrace was an ancient region that encompassed parts of modern-day Greece, Bulgaria, and Turkey. The name Tracia was likely used to denote someone who originated from or had connections to this region.
While the name Traci has its roots in ancient times, its usage as a given name is relatively modern. The earliest recorded instances of the name Traci date back to the late 19th century. One of the earliest documented individuals with the name was Traci Kennet, an American actress born in 1890, who appeared in several silent films during the early 1900s.
Another notable figure with the name Traci was Traci Lords, an American former pornographic actress and singer, born in 1968. Lords gained notoriety in the 1980s when it was revealed that she had appeared in pornographic films while underage, leading to a legal controversy.
In the realm of sports, Traci Rutt was an American track and field athlete who competed in the high jump. She won a silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, and held the American indoor record for the high jump from 1989 to 1998.
The name Traci also has literary connections. Traci O'Connor Navarro was an American author and playwright born in 1936, known for her works exploring themes of race, gender, and identity in the United States.
Traci Watson, born in 1965, is an American science writer and journalist who has contributed to various publications, including Nature, National Geographic, and the Los Angeles Times, covering topics related to science and the environment.
While the name Traci has its origins in ancient history, it gained popularity as a given name in the 20th century, particularly in the United States. The name has been borne by individuals from various fields, including entertainment, sports, literature, and journalism, reflecting its enduring appeal and cultural significance.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Traci
People
Traci + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Traci as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Traci: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Traci?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 46,286 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Traci 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 7,405 US residents.
Is Traci a common name?
We classify Traci as "Uncommon". It ranks above 99.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 52,405 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Traci most popular?
The single biggest year for Traci was 1970, when 3,871 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Traci is about 52 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Traci a female name?
Yes, 99.6% of people registered as Traci 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.