Trace is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Trace means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Trace across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Trace has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Trace is a boy name of English origin meaning “path, or dweller by the road”. A short form of Tracy, used as an independent name.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 14,112 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 6 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 Trace per year, United States (1956 to 2025). United States peaked in 2008 (534/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2018 (3/yr).
Trace is an uncommon baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2008, when it ranked #1,085 nationally (given to 534 babies that year).
Tracy · Tracey · Traci · Tricia · Tracie · Tyrese · Tracee · Terese
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