Eros
Masculine · “desire”
Eros is one of the oldest names in European literature: in Hesiod's Theogony he stands among the first beings to come into existence, and by the Hellenistic period he had become the winged archer the Romans renamed Cupid. The Greek word behind it, erōs, is still a working term in philosophy and theology, discussed at length in Plato's Symposium. Four letters, two beats, and a vowel-heavy sound that carries easily in Spanish and Italian as well as English.
How old is the name Eros?
Eros first appears in US birth records in 1974 — 51 years ago. The typical Eros is a kid of about 8 — this name's wave is very recent. About 2,000 people named Eros are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Eros most popular?
Eros peaked in 2022, reaching #1308 nationally. Today it ranks #1323, 15 places below that high. See the whole 2022 chart.
Eros appears on this list:
Where it comes from
From Ἔρως (Erōs) to Eros
The story of Eros
The name comes straight from Greek, where Eros was both a common noun and a god. Hesiod, writing in the eighth or seventh century BC, places him among the primordial powers present near the beginning of the world; later Greek poets and vase painters recast him as the young son of Aphrodite with a bow, and Roman writers translated him as Cupido or Amor. The Latin form kept the Greek spelling, which is how Eros survived intact into Italian and Spanish, where it has been used as a given name in modern times. In the United States it has appeared in the records for several decades, strongest in California, Texas and Florida — states with deep Italian- and Spanish-speaking naming traditions.
Meaning
desire, love
From the Greek noun ἔρως (erōs), passionate love or desire — the same word that gave English erotic.
How the name formed
- ἜρωςErōs
- ErosLatin
- ErosItalian, Spanish
Related forms: Έρως · Eros · Eros · Eros · Cupido
Pronouncing Eros
EH-ross
EH-ross follows the Greek, Italian and Spanish pronunciation; many English speakers say EER-oss, on the pattern of the English word erotic. Both are in real use, so it is worth deciding which one you will offer when introducing him.
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1974
- Most boys named
- 2025146 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1308reached in 2022
- Change vs 2024
- +20.7%146 in 2025, from 121
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Eros in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Έρως in Greek — same name
- Eros in Italian — same name
- Eros in Spanish — same name
- Eros in Portuguese — same name
- Cupido in Latin — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Florida.
Eross among us
people named Eros are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 11,699 born in 2025 was named Eros
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Jamario test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Eros's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Jamario climbed just as high around 1989, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Jamario's path sketches the road Eros is walking now.
Eros sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Eros is headed
Eros should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Eros beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Eros in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Spelled exactly as it sounds once the first vowel is settled — four letters, no silent letters, no variant spellings competing for attention.
- Works unchanged in English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and modern Greek, which matters in a bilingual family.
- A documented record stretching back to archaic Greek poetry, so it is ancient rather than newly coined.
- Short enough to need no nickname, and it pairs easily with longer surnames.
- The word's descendants in English are erotic and erogenous, and adults will hear that link before they hear Hesiod. It is not a problem in a classroom, but it will occasionally raise an eyebrow among grown-ups.
- Two pronunciations circulate, EH-ross and EER-oss, so he will likely correct people or simply answer to both.
- No established short forms exist, which suits some families and leaves others without an affectionate alternative.
- In art the figure is usually a child or a plump cherub, an image that has followed the name through centuries of painting.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Eros to the vote.
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What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Eros
Masculine · #1323 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Eross are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,000 people named Eros are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Eros in 2025?
- Eros ranks #1323 among US boy names in 2025, with 146 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Eros?
- About 1 in every 11,699 US boys born in 2025 was named Eros — 146 in all.
- Will my child share the name Eros with classmates?
- Eros will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Eros
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Lucio#1323 · Bryant#1323 · Sidney#1323 · Hans#1323 · Gus#1328 · Gilbert#1328 · Sanad#1328 · Elvis#1328
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Eros? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Eros and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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