Captain
Boy · KAP-tin · English
Captain is a boys' name of English origin, meaning “leader, chief”. In 2025 it ranked 5,207th for boys in the US (18 babies).
What does Captain mean?
English: English word, via Old French from Latin caput, head
“leader, chief”
The English word comes via Old French capitaine from Late Latin capitaneus, 'chief', from caput, 'head'.
- Say it
- KAP-tin
Is Captain a girl's or a boy's name?
Captain is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 18 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Captain in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #5,207among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 18about 1 in 95,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 35% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 18 boys in the US were named Captain, making it the 5,207th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,536th. Its busiest year was 2018, with 33 boys. It first appears in the records in 1883.
Half of all the boys named Captain in the US since 1880 were born between 2010 and 2019, the years shaded on the chart below.
Captain in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 18 | #5,207 |
| 2024 | 12 | #6,827 |
| 2023 | 20 | #4,882 |
| 2022 | 24 | #4,299 |
| 2021 | 19 | #4,932 |
| 2020 | 21 | #4,536 |
| 2019 | 23 | #4,333 |
| 2018 | 33 | #3,369 |
| 2017 | 25 | #4,101 |
| 2016 | 32 | #3,440 |
| 2015 | 25 | #4,078 |
| 2014 | 26 | #3,888 |
| 2013 | 23 | #4,178 |
| 2012 | 17 | #5,250 |
| 2011 | 20 | #4,657 |
| 2010 | 12 | #6,692 |
| 2009 | 6 | #10,989 |
| 2008 | 11 | #7,182 |
| 2007 | 6 | #10,915 |
| 2006 | 5 | #12,048 |
| 2005 | 7 | #9,108 |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 0 | – |
| 1995 | 0 | – |
| 1994 | 0 | – |
| 1993 | 0 | – |
| 1992 | 0 | – |
| 1991 | 0 | – |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 6 | #5,466 |
| 1980 | 0 | – |
| 1979 | 0 | – |
| 1978 | 0 | – |
| 1977 | 0 | – |
| 1976 | 0 | – |
| 1975 | 0 | – |
| 1974 | 0 | – |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 0 | – |
| 1971 | 0 | – |
| 1970 | 0 | – |
| 1969 | 0 | – |
| 1968 | 0 | – |
| 1967 | 0 | – |
| 1966 | 0 | – |
| 1965 | 0 | – |
| 1964 | 0 | – |
| 1963 | 0 | – |
| 1962 | 0 | – |
| 1961 | 0 | – |
| 1960 | 0 | – |
| 1959 | 0 | – |
| 1958 | 5 | #3,942 |
| 1957 | 0 | – |
| 1956 | 0 | – |
| 1955 | 0 | – |
| 1954 | 0 | – |
| 1953 | 0 | – |
| 1952 | 0 | – |
| 1951 | 0 | – |
| 1950 | 0 | – |
| 1949 | 0 | – |
| 1948 | 0 | – |
| 1947 | 0 | – |
| 1946 | 0 | – |
| 1945 | 0 | – |
| 1944 | 0 | – |
| 1943 | 0 | – |
| 1942 | 5 | #3,559 |
| 1941 | 0 | – |
| 1940 | 0 | – |
| 1939 | 0 | – |
| 1938 | 5 | #3,533 |
| 1937 | 0 | – |
| 1936 | 0 | – |
| 1935 | 0 | – |
| 1934 | 0 | – |
| 1933 | 0 | – |
| 1932 | 0 | – |
| 1931 | 0 | – |
| 1930 | 0 | – |
| 1929 | 0 | – |
| 1928 | 0 | – |
| 1927 | 0 | – |
| 1926 | 0 | – |
| 1925 | 0 | – |
| 1924 | 7 | #3,504 |
| 1923 | 0 | – |
| 1922 | 6 | #3,870 |
| 1921 | 0 | – |
| 1920 | 5 | #4,284 |
| 1919 | 5 | #4,167 |
| 1918 | 7 | #3,367 |
| 1917 | 0 | – |
| 1916 | 6 | #3,515 |
| 1915 | 0 | – |
| 1914 | 0 | – |
| 1913 | 0 | – |
| 1912 | 0 | – |
| 1911 | 0 | – |
| 1910 | 6 | #1,420 |
| 1909 | 0 | – |
| 1908 | 0 | – |
| 1907 | 0 | – |
| 1906 | 0 | – |
| 1905 | 0 | – |
| 1904 | 0 | – |
| 1903 | 0 | – |
| 1902 | 0 | – |
| 1901 | 5 | #1,057 |
| 1900 | 0 | – |
| 1899 | 0 | – |
| 1898 | 0 | – |
| 1897 | 0 | – |
| 1896 | 0 | – |
| 1895 | 0 | – |
| 1894 | 0 | – |
| 1893 | 0 | – |
| 1892 | 0 | – |
| 1891 | 0 | – |
| 1890 | 0 | – |
| 1889 | 0 | – |
| 1888 | 0 | – |
| 1887 | 8 | #679 |
| 1886 | 0 | – |
| 1885 | 0 | – |
| 1884 | 0 | – |
| 1883 | 5 | #891 |
Names like Captain
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
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