Porter is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Porter means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Porter across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Porter has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Porter is a boy name of Latin origin meaning “gatekeeper, carrier”. An occupational surname for a doorkeeper or carrier.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 21,801 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 93 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 3 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 3 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Porter per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 2015 (921/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2018 (13/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2017 (3/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2020 (3/yr).
Porter has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2015, when it ranked #724 nationally (given to 928 babies that year).
Not sure if it's the one? The best way to know is to see if your partner loves it too. Swipe baby names with your partner and match on the ones you both ❤️, free, no account needed to start.
Find your name together →