Squire
Masculine · “shield-bearer”
Squire is a title turned into a first name, and it has a frontier pedigree: Daniel Boone's father was Squire Boone, and so was one of his brothers. The word goes back to a knight's shield-bearer, and in early America it was what neighbors called the local justice of the peace.
How old is the name Squire?
Squire was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Squire alive today was born around 1923, making them about 102 years old. About 100 people named Squire are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Squire most popular?
Squire peaked in 1880, reaching #465 nationally. See the whole 1880 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Latin scutarius (shield-bearer) to Squire
The story of Squire
In medieval Europe a squire was the young man who carried a knight's shield and armor, the word coming through French from Latin scutarius. In England it came to mean a country landowner, and in early America it was the everyday title of a justice of the peace. The Boone family carried it as a first name. Squire Boone, a Quaker weaver from England, settled in Pennsylvania and later moved his family to the Yadkin valley of North Carolina; his son Daniel became the best-known frontiersman of his age. Daniel's younger brother, also Squire Boone, followed him into Kentucky and founded a settlement station of his own.
Meaning
shield-bearer
Squire comes through Old French from Latin scutarius, a shield-bearer, built on scutum, 'shield'. As a first name it is the title used as a name.
How the name formed
- Latin scutariusshield-bearer
- Old French esquier
- English squire
- Squirefirst name
Pronouncing Squire
SKWIRE
One syllable, rhyming with fire.
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
- 191817 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #465reached in 1880
- Change vs 1985
- −16.7%5 in 1997, from 6
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.
Squires among us
people named Squire 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
Squire 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
- A plain English word with a long, well-documented history.
- Carried by Daniel Boone's father and brother, at the heart of the American frontier story.
- One syllable, easy to say and spell.
- It is a title as well as a name, so it can sound like a job or a joke about landed gentry at first hearing.
- Country squire and squire of dames are both stock phrases, so the name will draw comments; they tend to be friendly.
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Squire
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Squires are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 100 people named Squire are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Squire in 2025?
- Squire is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Squire with classmates?
- Squire will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More S names
The most-given names starting with S, all years combined.
Steven#271 · Stephen#383 · Samuel#18 · Scott#534 · Sean#489 · Shawn#681 · Stanley#863 · Steve#1609
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Squire? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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