Given name
Unique
“unlike others; the only one”
Unique is used as a given name. One American interpretation is “unlike others; the only one.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One American interpretation is “unlike others; the only one.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is American.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1972. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Unique through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 8,569
- 954 boys · 7,615 girls
- Most popular year
- 2009
- 310 babies
- 2025
- 119
- #2,456 for girls · #2,792 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +2%
- Steady
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 17% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 73 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,456 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 17.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 292 in 2009. It also appeared in 46 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, Georgia had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (10). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 5,953 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Unique’s family of names
Unique has a related form in Uniqua. Unique has a related form in Unika. Unique has a related form in Unica.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 17
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Similar names
If you love Unique, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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