Spirit
An English word meaning the vital force or principle.
Name Census estimates that about 837 living Americans carry the first name Spirit. It is a predominantly female name (98.1% of registrations). The average person named Spirit today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Spirit births was 2003 (57 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Spirit. 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 Spirit with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
837
~ 1 in 409,503 Americans
Peak year
2003
57 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2020 SSA rank
#4,637
Tracked since 1975
Census
Spirit in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 654 people with the first name Spirit, which placed it at #17,030 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
#17,030
National first-name rank
People counted
654
654 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
48.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spirit
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Spirit is Black at 48.8%. The next largest groups are White (26.3%) and Two or More Races (9.3%). 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 Spirit 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 Spirit at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American48.8% · 319
- White26.3% · 172
- Two or more races9.3% · 61
- Hispanic or Latino9.0% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.8% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 5
Gender
Gender distribution for Spirit
Spirit leans heavily female at 98.1% of total registrations, but 16 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Spirit as a male name
- Ranked #11,826 in 2020
- 6 male births in 2020
- Peak: 2020 (6 births)
Spirit as a female name
- Ranked #4,637 in 2024
- 30 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2003 (57 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Spirit leans strongly female. 581 people counted with this name were female (88.4%), compared with 76 male bearers (11.6%).
Popularity
Spirit: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Spirit from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 335 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Spirit remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Spirit 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 Spirit during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Spirits live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Illinois, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Spirit, while Texas, Pennsylvania, North Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 6 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Spirit
The given name Spirit has its roots in the Latin word "spiritus," which means "breath" or "soul." This name first emerged during the Christian era, reflecting the religious and spiritual connotations associated with it.
In early Christian writings, the term "spirit" was often used to refer to the Holy Spirit or the divine force that guides and sustains life. The name Spirit was likely intended to evoke a sense of connection with the divine or a spiritual essence.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Spirit was Spirit Truthfinder, a 12th-century English monk and philosopher known for his writings on the nature of the soul and spirituality. His work influenced the development of Christian mysticism during the Middle Ages.
Several centuries later, Spirit Waterhawk, a Native American chief and spiritual leader of the Lenape tribe, gained recognition for his efforts to preserve the traditional beliefs and practices of his people in the face of European colonization in the 17th century.
In the 19th century, Spirit Morningstar was a prominent figure in the Transcendentalist movement, advocating for a closer connection with nature and the spiritual realm. Her writings and teachings inspired many to embrace a more holistic and introspective approach to life.
During the 20th century, Spirit Fireheart, a Lakota Sioux activist, played a pivotal role in advocating for Native American rights and cultural preservation. Her unwavering spirit and commitment to her people's traditions earned her widespread respect and admiration.
More recently, Spirit Starlighter, a contemporary artist and spiritual teacher, has gained recognition for her work exploring the connection between art, spirituality, and personal growth. Her vibrant paintings and workshops have inspired many individuals to embrace their creative and spiritual selves.
While the name Spirit has not been as common as some other given names throughout history, it has carried a profound significance for those who have borne it, reflecting a deep connection with the spiritual realm and a commitment to exploring the depths of the human experience.
People
Spirit + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Spirit as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Spirit: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Spirit?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 837 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Spirit 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 409,503 US residents.
Is Spirit a common name?
We classify Spirit as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 848 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Spirit most popular?
The single biggest year for Spirit was 2003, when 57 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Spirit is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Spirit in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 654 people with the name Spirit, or 0.22 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #17,030 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 Spirit 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 Spirit?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Spirit leans strongly female. 581 people counted with this name were female (88.4%), compared with 76 male bearers (11.6%). 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 Spirit?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Spirit is Black at 48.8%. The next largest groups are White (26.3%) and Two or More Races (9.3%). 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 Spirit most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Spirit in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.8% (319 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 Spirit in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Spirit a female name?
Yes, 98.1% of people registered as Spirit 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 Spirit still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Spirit 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 Spirit 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 Spirit?
You can see how many Americans are named Spirit on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.