Porter

Meaning: Doorkeeper; bearer
Origin: English (from Old French via Middle English)

Boy's name · #560 in the US (2025) · Comeback

89% boys · 11% girls — Porter is also given to girls: 68 in 2025, about 11% in recent years. Porter →

Popularity over time

Porter was #275 in 1880, slipped to #2987 by 1979, and has climbed back to #560 today. About 21,000 boys have carried it since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Porter is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 40 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Porter ranks in other countries and regions.

#804 in Canada (2024).

Famous Porters

Porter Robinson — American DJ, singer and record producer (born 1992)
Porter Wagoner — American country singer (1927–2007)
Porter Hall — American actor (1888–1953)
Porter H. Dale — American politician (1867–1933)
Porter J. McCumber — American politician (1858–1933)

In stories & tradition

Porter — Animal Crossing (video game series)

What Porters become

Among 74 notable people named Porter:

No single standout — notable Porters spread across many fields.

Similar names: Augustus · Foster · Pierce · Palmer · Ambrose · Clark

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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