Every Boy Name

Boy's name

George

Say it JORJ 1 syllable

Greek · “farmer, earth worker”

Loved in England and Wales and New Zealand. Common in Ontario, Scotland, British Columbia, and 5 more places. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 16 more places.

1 in 88 boys born in England and Wales in 2025. Number 7 there.

George in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 2, common in 8, rare in 19.
George in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales7 (down)20253,0821 in 8822020
Scotland50 (up)2025881 in 223532020
Northern Ireland34 (down)2025531 in 156272020
Ireland112 (down)2025491 in 484802020
North America
Ontario (province)94 (down)2024126about 1 in 475772019
Quebec (province)187 (up)202529about 1 in 1,0022002020
British Columbia (province)84 (up)202339about 1 in 3341092018
Nova Scotia (province)Not in the published top 212025Not listed2020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)24 (up)2025204282020
Victoria (state)21 (up)2025205352020
Queensland (state)19 (up)2025168272020
South Australia (state)15 (up)202559302020
New Zealand4 (up)202517862020
Western Europe
France840 (up)2025451 in 6,7268912020
Netherlands201 (up)202582about 1 in 8113892020
Central Europe
Austria648 (up)202561 in 6,3441,7512020
Switzerland577 (up)2025121 in 3,0007162020
Berlin (city)532 (down)20235about 1 in 3,1024732018
Munich (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Cologne (city)Rare: below the complete list20234902018
Bonn (city)397 (new in the list)20251about 1 in 3,170Not listed2020
Leipzig (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Rostock (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Nordic countries
NorwayRare: below the complete list20253782020
Sweden314 (up)202524about 1 in 1,7973642020
DenmarkNot in the published top 502025Not listed2020
FinlandNot in the published top 502025No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
SpainNot in the published top 1002024Not listed2019
Catalonia (region)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Italy774 (new in the list)2024111 in 17,214Not listed2019
Central and Eastern Europe
Poland581 (down)202531 in 42,1354922020
HungaryNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
SloveniaRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
EstoniaNot in the published top 272025Not listed2020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
Israel (published as ג'ורג')474 (up)202421about 1 in 4,0524962019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. Israel publishes names in Hebrew script; the original is shown beside the name. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

St George, an early saint, is the most famous bearer of George. It comes from the Greek Geṓrgios, from geōrgós, 'farmer, earth worker', which joins gê, 'earth', and érgon, 'work'. It reached English through Latin.

2 more paragraphs

A single syllable, JORJ, gives it a solid, steady sound. It has many European forms, including Jorge, Giorgio, Jørgen, Jordi and Jerzy.

George is especially popular in New Zealand and in England and Wales, where it ranks near the top, and it is well liked in South Australia. On the Continent it is much rarer. In Canadian records it was at its most common right at the start of the records, but it has kept its place as a classic and is rising in more places than it is falling.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
JORJ · 1 syllable
Meaning
“farmer, earth worker”
Origin
Greek
Related names
Jorge, Giorgio, Jurij, Jørgen, Joris, Jure, Jordi, Jerzy, Geevarghese, George Washington, St George, Keoki, Hōri, Georgică, Gică, Jur, Jirjis, Georgea, Juro, Gorch
Where George comes from (Wiktionary)

Name of an early saint, from Middle English George, from Latin Geōrgius, from Ancient Greek Γεώργῐος (Geṓrgĭos), from γεωργός (geōrgós, “farmer, earth worker”), from γῆ (gê, “earth”) (combining form γεω- (geō-)) + ἔργον (érgon, “work”). Doublet of Jorge and Geevarghese.

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for George. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

George over time

Rising in 4 of the 18 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 3. Peak in Ontario and British Columbia: 1925.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

George in England and Wales: #19 in 1996, a peak of #2 in 2018, and #7 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #19, 4,287 boys1997: #18, 4,586 boys1998: #17, 4,540 boys1999: #18, 4,286 boys2000: #17, 4,034 boys2001: #17, 3,858 boys2002: #15, 3,677 boys2003: #16, 3,479 boys2004: #17, 3,578 boys2005: #17, 3,540 boys2006: #14, 3,787 boys2007: #12, 3,939 boys2008: #12, 4,214 boys2009: #11, 4,347 boys2010: #9, 4,542 boys2011: #12, 4,347 boys2012: #12, 4,408 boys2013: #10, 4,202 boys2014: #7, 4,320 boys2015: #4, 4,869 boys2016: #3, 5,263 boys2017: #3, 4,929 boys2018: #2, 4,960 boys2019: #2, 4,575 boys2020: #2, 4,100 boys2021: #3, 4,141 boys2022: #3, 3,699 boys2023: #4, 3,494 boys2024: #6, 3,257 boys2025: #7, 3,082 boys#19 in 1996peak #2, 2018#7in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
1996194,287
1997184,586
1998174,540
1999184,286
2000174,034
2001173,858
2002153,677
2003163,479
2004173,578
2005173,540
2006143,787
2007123,939
2008124,214
2009114,347
201094,542
2011124,347
2012124,408
2013104,202
201474,320
201544,869
201635,263
201734,929
201824,960
201924,575
202024,100
202134,141
202233,699
202343,494
202463,257
202573,082

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in Ontario and British Columbia

Half of the boys named George in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 1949. Peak: 1925, about 3,470 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 3,292.6 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 2,915.8 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 2,654.7 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 1,972.7 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 1,419.5 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 1,126.4 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 849.6 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 632.1 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 617.3 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 478.9 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 348.2 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 224.9 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 173.1 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 163.4 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 141.3 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 148.5 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 160.6 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 194.2 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 272.8 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 242.9 per 100,000 boys20201925-1929: about 1 in 30 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–19293,292.6
1930–19342,915.8
1935–19392,654.7
1940–19441,972.7
1945–19491,419.5
1950–19541,126.4
1955–1959849.6
1960–1964632.1
1965–1969617.3
1970–1974478.9
1975–1979348.2
1980–1984224.9
1985–1989173.1
1990–1994163.4
1995–1999141.3
2000–2004148.5
2005–2009160.6
2010–2014194.2
2015–2019272.8
2020–2024242.9

Source: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (OGL-Ontario); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (OGL-BC). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for George

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with George, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 92, Northern Ireland

  2. 1 in 622, England and Wales

  3. 1 in 145, Ireland

  4. 1 in 196, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 187, England and Wales

  6. 1 in 207, Northern Ireland

  7. 1 in 731, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 285, England and Wales

  9. 1 in 130, Ireland

  10. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

All 40 brother names for George

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against George's 1 syllable and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 86, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 187, England and Wales

  3. 1 in 103, England and Wales

  4. 1 in 118, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 105, Ireland

  6. 1 in 130, Scotland

  7. 1 in 67, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 112, Northern Ireland

Full-name check

George Oliver

Syllables 1-3Initials G.O.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for George

Sisters for George: Eleanor, Bonnie, Elsie, and 5 more
  1. EleanorRose and fell with George · Same generation as George
  2. BonnieRose and fell with George · Same generation as George
  3. ElsieRose and fell with George
  4. HarrietRose and fell with George · Same generation as George
  5. OliveRose and fell with George · Same generation as George
  6. MaryRose and fell with George · Same generation as George
  7. EvelynRose and fell with George · As common as George
  8. ElizabethRose and fell with George

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with George

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like George's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 20 more places.

  2. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 13 more places.

  3. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 16 more places.

  4. Common across the UK, Sweden, Austria, and 10 more places.

  5. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 11 more places.

  6. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 14 more places.

  7. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 13 more places.

  8. Common across the UK, Poland, the Netherlands, and 19 more places.

Famous people named George

George W. Bush, George Washington, and 6 more

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about George

How popular is George in New Zealand?

George ranked #4 in New Zealand in 2025, given to 178 boys.

Is George rising in popularity?

In some places: it is rising in more of them than it is falling. Rising in 4 of the 18 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 3. Rising in: South Australia, Victoria, Netherlands, and Switzerland.

What does George mean?

George means “farmer, earth worker”, according to Wiktionary.

How many syllables does George have?

George has 1 syllable: JORJ.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

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Kept names collect here.

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