Head to head · Boys' names
George vs Graham
#126 vs #120 in 2025
Graham is a whisker ahead (#120 vs #126 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Graham is climbing the charts fast, George is holding its place on the charts.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
The tape is even: George and Graham each lead 3 measures of 6.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: George #4, Graham #784 — George higher
- 1890s: George #4, Graham #777 — George higher
- 1900s: George #4, Graham #674 — George higher
- 1910s: George #6, Graham #597 — George higher
- 1920s: George #7, Graham #612 — George higher
- 1930s: George #9, Graham #577 — George higher
- 1940s: George #15, Graham #651 — George higher
- 1950s: George #26, Graham #736 — George higher
- 1960s: George #34, Graham #732 — George higher
- 1970s: George #50, Graham #538 — George higher
- 1980s: George #70, Graham #375 — George higher
- 1990s: George #108, Graham #392 — George higher
- 2000s: George #143, Graham #383 — George higher
- 2010s: George #142, Graham #206 — George higher
- 2020s: George #132, Graham #149 — George higher
George stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | George | Graham |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #4 | #784 |
| 1890s | #4 | #777 |
| 1900s | #4 | #674 |
| 1910s | #6 | #597 |
| 1920s | #7 | #612 |
| 1930s | #9 | #577 |
| 1940s | #15 | #651 |
| 1950s | #26 | #736 |
| 1960s | #34 | #732 |
| 1970s | #50 | #538 |
| 1980s | #70 | #375 |
| 1990s | #108 | #392 |
| 2000s | #143 | #383 |
| 2010s | #142 | #206 |
| 2020s | #132 | #149 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
Around the world
George
- England & Wales#6
- Scotland#50
- Canada#92
Graham
Not charting outside the US.
National statistics offices, latest published year.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
George
farmer, one who works the earth
From Greek geōrgos, a compound of gē 'earth' and ergon 'work'.
Geōrgos → Georgios → Georgius → Georges → George
How it traveled
The Greek name Georgios was borne by a soldier martyred in the eastern Roman Empire in the early fourth century — Saint George, whose cult spread through Byzantium and reached western Europe with the Crusades, dragon and all. England adopted him as patron saint in the later Middle Ages, but the given name stayed surprisingly uncommon there until the Hanoverian succession of 1714 put a George on the throne, followed by five more.
Graham
from Grantham: either 'gravelly homestead' or 'Granta's homestead'
Everyone agrees the name comes from Grantham in Lincolnshire, recorded in the Domesday survey. The first element is what is argued over: Old English 'grand', gravel, giving 'gravelly homestead', or an Old English personal name Granta attached to 'ham', homestead or village. The second half, 'ham', is not in doubt.
Grantham → de Graham → Graham → Graeme
How it traveled
The village of Grantham appears in the Domesday Book, and from it came a family name. In the twelfth century a man recorded as William de Graham received lands in Scotland, and the name took root there, becoming one of the Border families and eventually a clan.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
George
JORJ
One syllable, both g's soft. The French Georges (ZHORZH) and Spanish Jorge (HOR-hay) are the same name pronounced by their own rules.
- Georgie — The main informal short form in English, used for children and within families; sometimes kept for life.
- Geo — A clipped, casual form, mostly written — in texts, signatures and nicknames among friends.
- Dod — A traditional Scottish pet form of George, still heard in Scotland and generally unfamiliar elsewhere.
- Gee — An initial-based nickname, informal and usually family-only.
Graham
GRAY-um
Two syllables in American usage. Many British and Scottish speakers compress it to something closer to one — GRAHM — so a child may hear both versions from different relatives.
- Gray — The most common short form, and a standalone given name in its own right in the US.
- Gram — Informal, drawn from the way British speakers compress the full name.
- Grae — Informal spelling of Gray, generally used by younger bearers.
- G — Casual, used among friends and teammates rather than in family settings.
Who has carried each name
George
George Washington (b. 1732) — First president of the United States
George Clooney (b. 1961) — Ocean's Eleven star with two Oscars
George Orwell (b. 1903) — Wrote 1984 and Animal Farm
Graham
Graham Greene (b. 1904) — Novelist of The Quiet American
Graham Norton (b. 1963) — Britain's beloved talk-show host
Graham Chapman (b. 1941) — Monty Python founding member
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose George if you want…
- a name holding steadyGeorge is holding its place on the charts
- a name with fewer syllablesGeorge is 1 syllable to Graham's 2
- a name that charts abroad tooGeorge is on the national lists of England & Wales, Scotland and Canada
- a long American recordGeorge was already in use when US records began in 1880
Choose Graham if you want…
- a name on the way upup 66 places on the charts in five years
- a name with more sound in itGraham runs 2 syllables, George 1
- a newer arrivalGraham entered the US charts in 1881
- a name that feels very nowGraham is climbing the charts fast
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
George
Strengths
- Spelled one way and recognized on sight — almost nobody has to ask how to write it.
- Charts in England and Wales, Scotland and Canada as well as the US, so it travels without translation.
- An unbroken record from the early Christian centuries through the English kings to now.
To consider
- It is strongly represented among older generations in the US, and some people will hear it as a grandfather's name before they hear it as a baby's. That impression is fading, but it hasn't gone.
- The name arrives with a lot of company: presidents, kings, a famous cartoon monkey. Expect the occasional joke and the occasional assumption about who he was named for.
- In England and Wales it is far more common than in the US, so British relatives may find it ordinary while American classmates find it distinctive.
Graham
Strengths
- One spelling that Americans read correctly on sight, and it survives being said quickly or over the phone.
- Established short forms already in circulation: Gray, Gram, Grae — none of them invented on the spot.
- Still a surname as well as a first name, so it sits easily beside almost any last name.
To consider
- In the US, 'graham' is also a cracker and a flour, named for the nineteenth-century dietary reformer Sylvester Graham. Most people never make the connection out loud, but a school-age classmate might.
- Graeme and Grahame are both real spellings, so expect an occasional 'which one?' — and the two-syllable American reading versus the clipped British one means the name is said two ways in the wild.
- The name is climbing rather than settling, so the boys born alongside your son will meet more Grahams than his father's generation did.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
George
12%chance George feels dated by 2040
George has held the top-100 across 11 different decades — it has never depended on fashion, and names like that read the same at any age.
Graham
54%chance Graham feels dated by 2040
Graham is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear George and Graham in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between George and Graham?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap
More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
Every list here names both George and Graham — the same style, ranked by the same records.
George or Graham — the short answers
- Which is more popular, George or Graham?
- Graham, in 2025: Graham ranked #120 with 2,967 babies; George ranked #126 with 2,848 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, George or Graham?
- Graham. Over the last five years George moved up 6 places; Graham moved up 66 places.
- Which is the older name, George or Graham?
- George was already in use when US records began in 1880; Graham entered the US charts in 1881. On the American record, George is the older name.
- How many people are named George and Graham?
- About 571,000 people named George are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 56,500 people named Graham are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Georges or Grahams in the classroom?
- George will almost certainly be the only one in school. Graham will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025; international figures from national statistics agencies. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up George, Graham and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap