Graham

Did you know?

A few things about Graham you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Graham

Graham Greene

British writer, playwright and literary critic (1904–1991)

Choose Graham and your child shares a first name with Graham Greene, a British writer, playwright and literary critic. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Graham, like who?” Graham Greene's Wikipedia article is available in 111 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Graham Greene on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: FOTO:Fortepan — ID 84697: Adományozó/Donor: Magyar Hírek folyóirat. archive copy at the Wayback Machine, CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 576 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Graham, 2,967 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Graham would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryGraham first shows up in US birth records in 1881, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 144 years since.
• 🏆Best yearGraham is at its all-time high right now: #120 in 2025.
• 📈Then vs nowGraham is 5.5× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 3,178 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 576.
• 🚀TrendGraham has climbed 66 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #120. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedGraham is most popular in South Dakota, where it ranks #32, followed by North Dakota (#36) and Washington, D.C. (#43). It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
• 💬MeaningIn Old English, Graham means “gravelly homestead”. Our records link it to Celtic, English and Scottish roots.
• 🌍OriginGraham is the #9 most popular Scottish boy name in the US. That's out of 1,045 Scottish boy and unisex names in our list.

About the name Graham

Graham is a boy name of Celtic, English and Scottish origin meaning “gravelly homestead”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with G and ending in “-ham”. US birth records list Graham for boys from 1881 to 2025, in 143 of those 145 years. Its best year was 2025, when it ranked #120 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #120, with 2,967 babies.

Origin:Celtic namesEnglish namesScottish names