Junior
Junior is a boy's name of English origin.
Meaning
Younger, or the younger one.
Origin and history
Junior originated as a Latin-derived English descriptor for a younger person or a son sharing his father's name. It eventually became used as an independent given name in the United States during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It remains a familiar, classic choice with steady usage in the U.S.
Popularity in the United States
42,987 babies in the United States have been named Junior since 1880. It ranks #553 all-time. Among babies born since 2020 it ranks #707.
States where it is most popular
- CA (6.9 %)
- WV (6 %)
- NC (6 %)
- MO (5.4 %)
- TX (5.3 %)
Trends by decade
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880-1890 | 23 |
| 1890-1900 | 59 |
| 1900-1910 | 162 |
| 1910-1920 | 1,800 |
| 1920-1930 | 12,925 |
| 1930-1940 | 8,004 |
| 1940-1950 | 3,804 |
| 1950-1960 | 2,375 |
| 1960-1970 | 1,535 |
| 1970-1980 | 948 |
| 1980-1990 | 1,213 |
| 1990-2000 | 1,908 |
| 2000-2010 | 3,340 |
| 2010-2019 | 2,795 |
| 2020-2029 | 2,096 |
Famous people named Junior
- Junior dos Santos: MMA Fighter, Athlete
- Junior Bridgeman: Basketball Player, Businessman
Fun facts
- The word stems directly from the Latin 'iunior', meaning 'younger', which is the comparative form of 'iuvenis'.
- Historically used as a suffix to distinguish a son from his father, it transitioned into an independent first name in American culture.