Whiskey
An English word referring to a distilled alcoholic beverage.
Name Census estimates that about 12 living Americans carry the first name Whiskey. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 50.0% of registrations being female. The average person named Whiskey today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Whiskey births was 2021 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Whiskey. 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 Whiskey. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
12
~ 1 in 28,562,862 Americans
Peak year
2021
6 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2021 SSA rank
#12,058
Tracked since 2021
Gender
Gender distribution for Whiskey
Whiskey is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 12 total registrations, 6 (50.0%) were male and 6 (50.0%) were female.
Whiskey as a male name
- Ranked #12,058 in 2021
- 6 male births in 2021
- Peak: 2021 (6 births)
Whiskey as a female name
- Ranked #15,060 in 2023
- 6 female births in 2023
- Peak: 2023 (6 births)
Popularity
Whiskey: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Whiskey 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 Whiskey 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 | 6 | 6 | 12 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Whiskey
The name Whiskey has its origins in the Gaelic language, derived from the word "uisce" meaning "water of life." It was first used as a term to describe the distilled spirit made from fermented grains, which later became known as whiskey. The name likely gained popularity as a given name in Ireland and Scotland during the 18th and 19th centuries when whiskey production became a significant industry in those regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Whiskey being used as a personal name dates back to the late 18th century. Whiskey Galore, born in 1789, was a Scottish sailor known for his love of the drink and his role in the infamous "Whisky Galore" incident, where a shipwreck led to the salvage of thousands of bottles of whiskey off the coast of Eriskay, Scotland.
Another notable individual with the name Whiskey was Whiskey Jack, a famous frontiersman and fur trapper who lived in the 19th century. Born in 1810, he earned his nickname for his fondness for whiskey and his skills as a woodsman in the American West.
In the early 20th century, Whiskey Smith, born in 1895, was a renowned bootlegger and rumrunner during the Prohibition era in the United States. He gained notoriety for his successful smuggling operations, evading law enforcement and supplying illegal whiskey to speakeasies and underground establishments.
Whiskey Pete, born in 1920, was a legendary bartender and mixologist in New York City during the mid-20th century. He was known for his exceptional skill in crafting cocktails and his vast knowledge of whiskey varieties and blends, earning him a reputation as a whiskey connoisseur.
Lastly, Whiskey Jack Daniel, born in 1950, was a renowned master distiller and the great-grandson of the founder of the iconic Jack Daniel's whiskey brand. He played a pivotal role in maintaining the legacy and quality of the distillery's whiskey production, ensuring the continuation of the brand's heritage and traditions.
People
Whiskey + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Whiskey as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Whiskey: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Whiskey?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Whiskey 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 28,562,862 US residents.
Is Whiskey a common name?
We classify Whiskey as "Very Rare". It ranks above 32.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Whiskey most popular?
The single biggest year for Whiskey was 2021, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Whiskey is about 4 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 Whiskey in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Whiskey a female name?
Yes, 50.0% of people registered as Whiskey 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.
Is Whiskey still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Whiskey 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 Whiskey 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 common is the name Whiskey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.