Hamilton
Masculine · “crooked hill”
Hamilton is an English place name — the crooked hill — that became a great Scottish family and then, through one immigrant, a founding American institution.
How old is the name Hamilton?
Hamilton was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Hamilton alive today was born around 1978, making them about 47 years old. About 4,200 people named Hamilton are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Hamilton most popular?
Hamilton peaked in 1883, reaching #346 nationally. Today it ranks #3128, 2,782 places below that high. See the whole 1883 chart.
Where it comes from
From hamel dun to Hamilton
The story of Hamilton
Walter FitzGilbert received Scottish lands after Bannockburn, and the Hamiltons became one of the greatest families in Scotland. Alexander Hamilton, born in the Caribbean, wrote most of the Federalist Papers and built the American financial system. American given-name use rose in the nineteenth century, peaked around 1885, and rose again after a 2015 musical.
Meaning
crooked hill
From the Old English hamel, 'crooked' or 'mutilated', and dun, 'hill'. The village of Hameldon in Leicestershire is the origin; a family took the name there and moved to Scotland in the thirteenth century. The reading is documented and undisputed.
How the name formed
- hamel dun
- Hameldon
- Hamilton
Related forms: Hamilton · Hamelton
Pronouncing Hamilton
HAM-il-tun
Three syllables, stress on the first. Said identically in every English accent.
Nicknames for Hamilton
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
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 201698 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #346reached in 1883
- Change vs 2022
- −44.1%38 in 2025, from 68
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.
Hamilton in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Hamilton in Scottish — same name
- Hamelton in English — spelling variant
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Georgia.
Hamiltons among us
people named Hamilton are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 44,949 born in 2025 was named Hamilton
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Hamilton 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 Hamilton is headed
Hamilton is easing off slowly — about 16% fewer babies a year by 2030 if the trend continues.
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.
Hamilton beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Hamilton in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The crooked-hill meaning is concrete and the place is real.
- A great Scottish family and a consequential American founder carry it.
- Three syllables with a front stress, which holds up against a short surname.
- The Ham clipping is unfortunate as an English word.
- A very successful musical dominates the association now.
- It reads unmistakably as a surname.
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What they receive
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Hamilton
Masculine · #3128 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Hamiltons are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 4,200 people named Hamilton are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Hamilton in 2025?
- Hamilton ranks #3128 among US boy names in 2025, with 38 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Hamilton?
- About 1 in every 44,949 US boys born in 2025 was named Hamilton — 38 in all.
- Will my child share the name Hamilton with classmates?
- Hamilton will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Hamilton
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Juanpablo#3128 · Tavion#3128 · Baxter#3128 · Javen#3128 · Courtney#3128 · Dawud#3128 · Hal#3128 · Tiberius#3128
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Hamilton? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Hamilton and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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