Boys' name · peaked in 2005
Hector name popularity since 1925
107,555 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Hector. Half of them were born in 1991 or earlier, so the typical Hector is about 35 years old in 2026. Hector peaked in 2005 as the #167 name for boys, and it ranked #409 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 107,555
- Named Hector, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #409
- for boys in 2025 (779 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.6% boys
- 481 girls · 107,074 boys
- Most popular in
- Texas
- 3.36× its national share
Peak year is the year Hector made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Hector births per year, 1925–2025
2005 was the biggest year for Hector both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1946 and 1951, Hector became 1.7× more common, from 1 in 5,410 baby boys to 1 in 3,190.
- Steepest fall: Between 2008 and 2013, its share of baby boys fell by 38%, from 1 in 936 to 1 in 1,500.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Hector's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Hector.
Decade by decade
Babies named Hector in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 0 | 844 | – |
| 1930s | 5 | 1,794 | #420 |
| 1940s | 0 | 2,825 | #374 |
| 1950s | 22 | 7,101 | #247 |
| 1960s | 60 | 9,604 | #235 |
| 1970s | 123 | 12,130 | #182 |
| 1980s | 149 | 15,108 | #178 |
| 1990s | 105 | 19,493 | #175 |
| 2000s | 17 | 20,880 | #167 |
| 2010s | 0 | 12,137 | #303 |
| 2020–25 | 0 | 5,158 | #409 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
28.6% of babies named Hector from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Hector is most popular
The index compares Hector's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Hector.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 3.36× | 27,756 |
| Arizona | 3.24× | 4,432 |
| California | 2.77× | 30,900 |
| New Mexico | 2.05× | 1,192 |
| Nevada | 1.86× | 698 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Hector's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Hector.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Hector (2005).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data