Younger
A variant of the adjective meaning "of smaller age or more recent origin".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Younger. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Younger today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Younger births was 1915 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Younger. 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 Younger. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1915
7 babies that year
Average age
-
1915 SSA rank
#3,390
Tracked since 1915
Popularity
Younger: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Younger 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 Younger during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Younger
The name Younger has its origins in the English language, derived from the comparative form of the adjective "young." It emerged during the Middle English period, around the 12th to 15th centuries, when surnames began to be widely adopted. The name Younger was likely used to distinguish someone as the more youthful or junior individual within a family or community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Younger can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the late 12th century, where a person named William le Younger is mentioned. This record suggests that the name was already in use as a surname during the medieval period in England.
In the realm of literature, the name Younger appears in various works, including William Shakespeare's play "The Merry Wives of Windsor," where a character named Younger is mentioned. This reference dates back to the late 16th or early 17th century, further solidifying the name's presence in English culture.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Younger. One such figure is Sir Edward Younger, a Scottish businessman and politician who lived from 1875 to 1946. He served as the Lord Lieutenant of Fife and was a prominent figure in the whisky industry.
Another prominent bearer of the name was William Younger, a Scottish brewer and businessman who lived from 1799 to 1879. He co-founded the renowned Younger's Brewery in Edinburgh, which played a significant role in the city's brewing industry during the 19th century.
In the field of art, John Younger, an American painter and sculptor, made notable contributions. Born in 1933, he is known for his abstract expressionist works and his contributions to the New York art scene in the latter half of the 20th century.
The name Younger has also been associated with academic and scientific figures. Thomas Graham Younger, a British mathematician and physicist who lived from 1888 to 1965, made significant contributions to the field of optics and was a Fellow of the Royal Society.
Lastly, in the realm of sports, Megan Younger, an American soccer player born in 1992, has represented the United States women's national soccer team and played professionally for various clubs.
These examples showcase the diverse range of individuals who have carried the name Younger throughout history, spanning various fields and time periods, further solidifying its enduring presence in the English-speaking world.
People
Younger + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Younger as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Younger: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Younger?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Younger 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 - US residents.
Is Younger a common name?
We classify Younger as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% 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 Younger most popular?
The single biggest year for Younger was 1915, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Younger is about 0 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 Younger in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Younger a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Younger 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 Younger still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Younger 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 Younger 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 Younger as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Younger, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.