Porter

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous Porter

Porter Robinson

American DJ, singer and record producer (born 1992)

Choose Porter and your child shares a first name with Porter Robinson, an American DJ, singer and record producer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Porter, like who?” Porter Robinson's Wikipedia article is available in 28 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Porter Robinson on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Chan4est, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 3,216 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Porter, 531 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Porter would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryPorter has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Porters, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 1880, when it reached #273.
• 📈Then vs nowPorter is 3.0× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 9,775 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 3,216.
• 🍂TrendPorter has slipped 136 places over the last five years and now sits at #560. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedPorter is most popular in North Dakota, where it ranks #191, followed by South Dakota (#192) and Utah (#193). It's in the top 1,000 in 33 states.
• ⚖️Boy or girlPorter is given to both boys and girls: 89% of the 599 babies named Porter in 2025 were boys. That makes it one of the names that truly works for either.
• 💬MeaningIn English, Porter means “gatekeeper”. Our records link it to French and Latin roots.

About the name Porter

Porter is a gender-neutral name of French and Latin origin meaning “gatekeeper”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with P and ending in “-ter”. US birth records list Porter for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked #273 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #560, with 531 babies. Of the 599 US babies named Porter in 2025, 11% were girls and 89% were boys.

Origin:French namesLatin names