Given name & surname
Horace
“the keeper of time”
Horace is used as a given name and a surname. One Latin interpretation is “the keeper of time.” Its derivation is not certain.
Original LatinHoratius
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Latin interpretation is “the keeper of time.” Its derivation is not certain.
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Latin, although the derivation remains uncertain.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Horace through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 54,356
- 54,154 boys · 202 girls
- Most popular year
- 1921
- 1,313 babies
- 2025
- 14
- #6,245 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −20%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 14 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 6,245 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 19.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 1,313 in 1921. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 15,663 as a first name in 2020; 1,685 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Horace’s family of names
In English usage, Horace has a diminutive in HORRY. In English usage, Horace shares an earlier linguistic root with Horatio. In English usage, Horace has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form Horacio.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Horace has relatives in 9 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
Latinwhere Horace comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 16
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 7
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Horace
- Horace WalpoleEnglish writer and politician (1717–1797)
- Horace GreeleyAmerican politician and publisher (1811–1872)
- Horace Bénédict de SaussureGenevan scientist (1740–1799)
- Horace VernetFrench painter (1789–1863)
- Horace SilverAmerican jazz pianist and composer (1928–2014)
- Horace Parnell TuttleAmerican astronomer (1837–1923)
- Horace GrantAmerican basketball player (born 1965)
- Horace McCoyAmerican writer (1897–1955)
- Horace AndyJamaican roots reggae songwriter and singerborn 1951
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Horace, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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