October
The name with Latin origins representing the tenth month of the year.
Name Census estimates that about 1,271 living Americans carry the first name October. It is a predominantly female name (93.3% of registrations). The average person named October today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of October births was 2022 (76 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for October. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for October with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • October is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 15 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.3K
~ 1 in 269,673 Americans
Peak year
2022
76 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,619
Tracked since 1969
Census
October in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 986 people with the first name October, which placed it at #12,575 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#12,575
National first-name rank
People counted
986
986 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
66.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for October
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named October is White at 66.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.3%) and Two or More Races (8.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name October described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name October at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.8% · 659
- Hispanic or Latino12.3% · 121
- Two or more races8.7% · 86
- Black or African American8.4% · 83
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 17
Gender
Gender distribution for October
October leans heavily female at 93.3% of total registrations, but 87 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
October as a male name
- Ranked #7,113 in 2024
- 12 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (21 births)
October as a female name
- Ranked #3,619 in 2024
- 43 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2008 (72 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, October leans strongly female. 896 people counted with this name were female (91.8%), compared with 80 male bearers (8.2%).
Popularity
October: popularity over time
The SSA tracks October from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 556 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, October remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
October 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 October during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Octobers live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. California, Texas, Ohio recorded the most babies named October, while Oklahoma, North Carolina, Iowa recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 21 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of October
The name October is a relatively modern name that has its origins in the Latin word "octo", meaning eight. This is because October was originally the eighth month in the ancient Roman calendar, before the addition of January and February. The name is a direct reference to the month of October and its association with the changing of seasons and the autumnal equinox.
While the name does not have deep historical roots in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is a reflection of the enduring influence of the Roman calendar and its naming conventions. The earliest recorded use of October as a given name can be traced back to the late 19th century, as it gained popularity as a unique and unconventional choice for baby names.
One of the earliest notable individuals to bear the name October was October Cherrington, an American baseball player who was born in 1900 and played in the Major Leagues from 1923 to 1928. Another early bearer of the name was October Gonzalez, a Cuban baseball player who played in the Negro Leagues in the 1920s and 1930s.
In more recent times, the name has been embraced by parents seeking unique and nature-inspired names for their children. One of the most famous bearers of the name is October Jade Batriz, an American actress and singer who was born in 1998 and is known for her roles in various television shows and films.
Another notable individual with the name October is October Moore, an American model and actress who was born in 1976 and has appeared in various fashion campaigns and television shows. Additionally, October Gonzalez is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter who was born in 1984 and has released several successful albums.
While the name October may not have a long and storied history, it has gained popularity in recent decades as a unique and unconventional choice for baby names. Its connection to the changing seasons and the autumnal equinox has made it a popular choice for parents seeking nature-inspired names with a touch of whimsy and individuality.
People
October + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with October as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with O
Other first names starting with O with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
October: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named October?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,271 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for October 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 269,673 US residents.
Is October a common name?
We classify October as "Rare". It ranks above 91.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,291 babies have been registered with this name.
When was October most popular?
The single biggest year for October was 2022, when 76 babies received the name. The fact that the average living October is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was October in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 986 people with the name October, or 0.33 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #12,575 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name October in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for October?
In the 2020 Census sex table, October leans strongly female. 896 people counted with this name were female (91.8%), compared with 80 male bearers (8.2%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named October?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named October is White at 66.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.3%) and Two or More Races (8.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name October most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named October in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.8% (659 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 October in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is October a female name?
Yes, 93.3% of people registered as October 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 October still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded October 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 October 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.
How many people are called October?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.