Find out how popular the first name Voltaire has been for the last 42 years (from 1978 to 2019) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Voltaire by gender

Based on the last 42 years of data, Voltaire is exclusively a male name.

For the most recent data in 2019, there were 5 male babies and 0 female babies born with the name Voltaire.

The history of the first name Voltaire

The name Voltaire is a French surname that was adopted as a pen name by the famous 18th-century philosopher and writer François-Marie Arouet. The origin of the surname Voltaire is uncertain, but it is believed to derive from an old spelling of the name of the small village of Voltaire in the Pays de Gex region of eastern France, near the Swiss border.

Voltaire was born on November 21, 1694, in Paris, and he adopted the pen name Voltaire in the 1710s when he began publishing his literary works. The name Voltaire did not have any particular meaning or significance, but it was a more distinctive and memorable name than his given surname of Arouet.

While Voltaire is the most famous person to bear this name, there were a few other notable figures throughout history who shared this given name or pen name. In the 18th century, there was a French playwright named Claude-André Voltaire, who lived from 1720 to 1785. Another French writer and journalist named Édouard Voltaire lived from 1816 to 1892.

In the 19th century, an American author and abolitionist named John Voltaire Perkins was active in the anti-slavery movement and published several works on the subject. He lived from 1819 to 1890. There was also a French artist named Pierre Voltaire, who lived from 1834 to 1912 and was known for his landscape paintings.

Despite its association with the famous philosopher and writer, the name Voltaire did not gain widespread popularity as a first name. It remained relatively uncommon throughout history, with only a few notable individuals bearing this name or adopting it as a pen name. The name is closely tied to the life and legacy of the French philosopher Voltaire, whose works and ideas had a significant impact on the Enlightenment and the development of modern philosophical and political thought.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Voltaire was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Voltaire, please contact us.

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