Travis
Feminine · “from a crossing or a toll”
Travis is given to boys far more often — 308,571 boys against 2,116 girls since 1880. See Travis as a boy name
This name is Texan for a reason. It belongs to the officer who commanded the garrison at the Alamo and died there at twenty-six, and the record shows it holding its strongest ground in Texas ever since — a surname made into a first name by a single siege that lasted under a fortnight.
How old is the name Travis?
Travis first appears in US birth records in 1910 — 115 years ago. The typical Travis alive today was born around 1978, making them about 47 years old. About 1,800 people named Travis are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Travis most popular?
Travis peaked in 1983, reaching #1358 nationally. See the whole 1983 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From traverse to Travis
The story of Travis
The most repeated story about him should be treated carefully. Every Texan schoolchild learns that he drew a line in the sand with his sword and asked the men who would stay to step across it. The account first appears in print decades after the siege, attributed to the recollection of one man who is supposed to have declined to cross and left, and no contemporary source mentions it at all. Historians have argued about it for a century without settling it. What is not in doubt is the letter he sent out three days into the siege, addressed to the people of Texas and all Americans in the world, which ends with three words that are carved into the building's floor and are read aloud in schools every February.
Meaning
from a crossing or a toll
An occupational surname from Norman French, describing a man stationed at a river crossing or a barrier. The word behind it is the same one that gives English traverse.
How the name formed
- traverse
- Travers
- Travis
Pronouncing Travis
TRAV-iss
Two syllables with the stress at the front. The spelling gives no trouble and the name is never mispronounced.
Nicknames for Travis
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
- 1910
- Most girls named
- 198891 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1358reached in 1983
- Change vs 1997
- +216.7%19 in 2004, 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.
Traviss among us
people named Travis 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
Travis 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
- The spelling and the sound agree completely with nothing to explain.
- Trav is a short form that sounds entirely current.
- It carries a specific and identifiable history rather than a vague one.
- Its peak generation is recent enough to date the name to a decade.
- The historical association is regional and very strong in one state.
- The record holds girls as well, and the girl is much the smaller side.
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What they receive
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Travis
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Traviss are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,800 people named Travis are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Travis in 2025?
- Travis is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Travis with classmates?
- Travis will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More T names
The most-given names starting with T, all years combined.
Teresa#908 · Theresa#1548 · Tiffany#878 · Tammy#3645 · Taylor#403 · Tina#2778 · Tracy#2153 · Thelma#4661
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Travis? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Travis and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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