Unknown is a unisex name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Unknown means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Unknown across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Unknown has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Unknown is a unisex name of English origin meaning “not known, unidentified”. This is a placeholder label rather than an established given name.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 19,714 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 Unknown per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1954 (1,192/yr).
Unknown has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1954, when it ranked #437 nationally (given to 1,192 babies that year).
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