Given name & surname · also Latin
Porter
“the doorkeeper”·“the gatekeeper”
Porter is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “the doorkeeper” (Latin) and “the gatekeeper” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “the doorkeeper” (Latin) and “the gatekeeper” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Latin and English naming traditions.
How it developed
From Middle English Porter, from Old French portier (“<i class="Latn mention" lang="en">doorman</i>”), from Old French portour (“<i class="Latn mention" lang="en">bearer</i>”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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
Porter through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 21,801
- 20,808 boys · 993 girls
- Most popular year
- 2015
- 921 babies
- 2025
- 599
- #560 for boys · #2,578 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −16%
- Easing
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 91% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 531 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 560 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 20.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 862 in 2015. It also appeared in 68 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (46). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 13,714 as a first name in 2020; 156,720 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.
Porter’s family of names
Porter has a related form in Poart. Porter has a related form in Port. Porter has a related form in Portar.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 10
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Portvariant
- Portyrvariant
- Portirvariant
- Portarvariant
- Portorvariant
- Porturvariant
- Poartvariant
- Portevariant
Show 2 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Porter
- Porter RobinsonAmerican DJ, singer and record producer (born 1992)
- Porter GossAmerican politician and first Director of the Central Intelligence Agencyborn 1938
- Porter WagonerAmerican country singer (1927–2007)
- Porter HallAmerican actor (1888-1953)
- Porter H. DaleAmerican politician (1867–1933)
- Porter J. McCumberAmerican politician (1858–1933)
- Porter Emerson BrowneAmerican playwright (1879–1934)
- Porter SheldonAmerican politician (1831–1908)
- Porter MartoneCanadian ice hockey player (born 2006)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Porter, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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