Viserys
A male given name of Valyrian origin meaning "one who is scorned".
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Viserys. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Viserys today is around 3 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Viserys births was 2023 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Viserys. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Viserys. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
2023
7 babies that year
Average age
3
years old
2023 SSA rank
#10,734
Tracked since 2023
Popularity
Viserys: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Viserys 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 Viserys during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Viserys
The name Viserys is of Greek origin, derived from the ancient word "basileus," which means "king" or "ruler." This name was particularly prevalent in the Byzantine Empire, which traced its roots back to the Roman Empire and the Greek cultural sphere.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Viserys can be found in the Byzantine chronicles, where it was borne by several members of the imperial family. One notable example is Viserys I, who ruled as the Byzantine Emperor from 1042 to 1055 CE. He was known for his efforts to strengthen the empire's defenses against external threats and his patronage of the arts and learning.
In the realm of literature, the name Viserys appears in several ancient Greek texts, including the works of Homer and Herodotus. However, it gained particular prominence in the writings of the Byzantine historians and chroniclers, who documented the lives and deeds of the various emperors and nobles bearing this name.
Beyond the Byzantine Empire, the name Viserys was also used in other parts of the Greek-speaking world. For instance, in the 13th century, there was a notable figure named Viserys, who served as the Archbishop of Nicosia in the Kingdom of Cyprus.
Throughout history, several other notable individuals have borne the name Viserys. One such person was Viserys II Kantakouzenos, who ruled as the co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 1347 to 1354 CE, alongside his father John VI Kantakouzenos. Another was Viserys Asan, a Bulgarian noble and military leader who played a crucial role in the resistance against the Byzantine Empire in the late 12th century.
In more recent times, the name Viserys has gained popularity in literature and popular culture, particularly through its use in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" book series by George R.R. Martin. In this fictional universe, Viserys Targaryen is a prominent character who serves as the heir to the deposed ruling dynasty of the fictional continent of Westeros.
People
Viserys + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Viserys as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with V
Other first names starting with V with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Viserys: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Viserys?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Viserys 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 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Viserys a common name?
We classify Viserys as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Viserys most popular?
The single biggest year for Viserys was 2023, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Viserys is about 3 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Viserys in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Viserys a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Viserys 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 Viserys still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Viserys 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 Viserys 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Viserys as a first name?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Viserys, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.