Graden
Masculine
Graden could be a surname, a blend of two shorter names, or simply a member of the large rhyme family whose members all end the same way. Nothing records which. The syllable at the front is one of the most productive pieces of Latin that English ever borrowed.
How old is the name Graden?
Graden first appears in US birth records in 1914 — 111 years ago. The typical Graden alive today was born around 2007, making them about 18 years old. About 600 people named Graden are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Graden most popular?
Graden peaked in 2008, reaching #2515 nationally. See the whole 2008 chart.
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Graden
The Latin word for a step has quietly built a large part of English. A degree is a step down from something — the word is the Latin for step with a prefix meaning down, and it named a rung on a scale long before it named a qualification. An ingredient is what steps in. To progress is to step forward, to transgress is to step across a line, to digress is to step aside, and aggression is stepping towards somebody, which is a much more physical picture than the modern word suggests. A gradient is a slope measured in steps, and something gradual happens a step at a time. English took the noun, the verb and half a dozen prefixes with it, and now uses them in contexts — academic, mathematical, psychological — where nobody is walking anywhere at all.
Meaningnot established
Not established
No source is documented. Grady and Braden are both close enough to be parents, the ending is a free element shared by a very large family of American names, and a surname origin is possible. The Latin word the front resembles has no demonstrated connection to it.
Pronouncing Graden
GRAY-den
Two syllables with the stress at the front. The second syllable is unstressed and can be written with an a, an e, an o or a y without any change in sound.
Nicknames for Graden
Moderate
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
- 1914
- Most boys named
- 200850 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2515reached in 2008
- Change vs 2023
- −14.3%6 in 2024, from 7
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.
Gradens among us
people named Graden are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Graden sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It sits comfortably in a very large and familiar rhyme family without being a member anyone else has.
- Two syllables with front stress is the plainest and most durable shape English has.
- The spelling is phonetic and survives being heard once.
- Graydon, Gradyn and Grayden are all recorded and will be written for it.
- The unstressed second syllable means the spelling has to be given every time.
- Nothing is documented about its origin, so the meaning question has no answer.
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Graden
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Gradens are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Graden are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Graden in 2025?
- Graden is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Graden with classmates?
- Graden will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More G names
The most-given names starting with G, all years combined.
George#126 · Gary#1073 · Gregory#593 · Gerald#1204 · Gabriel#37 · Glenn#1443 · Gavin#303 · Gordon#1051
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Graden? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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