Junior
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- JOO-nee-a
- Origin
- English
- UK rank, 2025
- #460 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #752 for boys
Junior is a boys' name of English origin, meaning “younger”. In 2025 it ranked 460th for boys in the UK (97 babies) and 752nd for boys in the US (343 babies).
What does Junior mean?
English: English word from Latin junior, younger
“younger”
Originally a suffix distinguishing a son from his father of the same name, now also used as a first name.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Junior a girl's or a boy's name?
Junior is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 97 boys in the UK and 343 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Junior in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #460among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 97about 1 in 3,100 boys
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 26% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 97 boys in the UK were named Junior, making it the 460th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 384th. Its busiest year was 2013, with 244 boys.
2025 had fewer boys named Junior than any year since 2006.
Half of all the boys named Junior in the UK since 1996 were born between 2010 and 2018, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among boys in 2025, it was 497th in England and Wales, 243rd in Scotland and 395th in Northern Ireland.
Junior in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 97 | #460 |
| 2024 | 106 | #422 |
| 2023 | 125 | #378 |
| 2022 | 122 | #389 |
| 2021 | 136 | #366 |
| 2020 | 129 | #384 |
| 2019 | 150 | #343 |
| 2018 | 165 | #324 |
| 2017 | 175 | #323 |
| 2016 | 191 | #299 |
| 2015 | 209 | #277 |
| 2014 | 232 | #260 |
| 2013 | 244 | #235 |
| 2012 | 240 | #237 |
| 2011 | 243 | #229 |
| 2010 | 240 | #233 |
| 2009 | 151 | #309 |
| 2008 | 150 | #308 |
| 2007 | 110 | #370 |
| 2006 | 86 | #431 |
| 2005 | 67 | #470 |
| 2004 | 44 | #626 |
| 2003 | 29 | #790 |
| 2002 | 30 | #707 |
| 2001 | 28 | #707 |
| 2000 | 22 | #842 |
| 1999 | 28 | #683 |
| 1998 | 28 | #688 |
| 1997 | 16 | #973 |
| 1996 | 23 | #724 |
How popular is Junior in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #752among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 343about 1 in 5,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 24% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 343 boys in the US were named Junior, making it the 752nd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 748th. Its busiest year was 1926, with 1,590 boys. It first appears in the records in 1882.
Half of all the boys named Junior in the US since 1880 were born between 1927 and 1985, the years shaded on the chart below.
Junior in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 343 | #752 |
| 2024 | 398 | #683 |
| 2023 | 357 | #735 |
| 2022 | 327 | #773 |
| 2021 | 347 | #737 |
| 2020 | 324 | #748 |
| 2019 | 275 | #820 |
| 2018 | 286 | #792 |
| 2017 | 253 | #862 |
| 2016 | 284 | #809 |
| 2015 | 275 | #822 |
| 2014 | 278 | #817 |
| 2013 | 296 | #762 |
| 2012 | 272 | #814 |
| 2011 | 285 | #784 |
| 2010 | 291 | #768 |
| 2009 | 336 | #708 |
| 2008 | 381 | #641 |
| 2007 | 401 | #617 |
| 2006 | 379 | #625 |
| 2005 | 370 | #609 |
| 2004 | 316 | #649 |
| 2003 | 311 | #647 |
| 2002 | 311 | #631 |
| 2001 | 270 | #671 |
| 2000 | 265 | #672 |
| 1999 | 206 | #769 |
| 1998 | 213 | #752 |
| 1997 | 214 | #724 |
| 1996 | 209 | #731 |
| 1995 | 224 | #706 |
| 1994 | 182 | #784 |
| 1993 | 169 | #810 |
| 1992 | 181 | #773 |
| 1991 | 158 | #820 |
| 1990 | 152 | #824 |
| 1989 | 142 | #836 |
| 1988 | 144 | #788 |
| 1987 | 135 | #797 |
| 1986 | 114 | #848 |
| 1985 | 111 | #856 |
| 1984 | 101 | #874 |
| 1983 | 107 | #843 |
| 1982 | 132 | #764 |
| 1981 | 107 | #851 |
| 1980 | 120 | #800 |
| 1979 | 91 | #917 |
| 1978 | 83 | #950 |
| 1977 | 102 | #847 |
| 1976 | 104 | #820 |
| 1975 | 80 | #916 |
| 1974 | 87 | #856 |
| 1973 | 100 | #792 |
| 1972 | 84 | #877 |
| 1971 | 114 | #767 |
| 1970 | 103 | #800 |
| 1969 | 135 | #676 |
| 1968 | 102 | #736 |
| 1967 | 110 | #705 |
| 1966 | 135 | #635 |
| 1965 | 149 | #622 |
| 1964 | 173 | #601 |
| 1963 | 158 | #620 |
| 1962 | 177 | #586 |
| 1961 | 192 | #567 |
| 1960 | 204 | #551 |
| 1959 | 184 | #579 |
| 1958 | 201 | #542 |
| 1957 | 243 | #498 |
| 1956 | 230 | #498 |
| 1955 | 232 | #481 |
| 1954 | 263 | #445 |
| 1953 | 225 | #468 |
| 1952 | 254 | #440 |
| 1951 | 269 | #415 |
| 1950 | 274 | #406 |
| 1949 | 284 | #399 |
| 1948 | 329 | #373 |
| 1947 | 388 | #347 |
| 1946 | 351 | #345 |
| 1945 | 401 | #298 |
| 1944 | 392 | #303 |
| 1943 | 416 | #304 |
| 1942 | 416 | #297 |
| 1941 | 398 | #290 |
| 1940 | 429 | #271 |
| 1939 | 464 | #249 |
| 1938 | 517 | #231 |
| 1937 | 562 | #212 |
| 1936 | 637 | #194 |
| 1935 | 677 | #191 |
| 1934 | 816 | #170 |
| 1933 | 822 | #168 |
| 1932 | 1,116 | #145 |
| 1931 | 1,068 | #150 |
| 1930 | 1,325 | #135 |
| 1929 | 1,442 | #120 |
| 1928 | 1,493 | #120 |
| 1927 | 1,588 | #119 |
| 1926 | 1,590 | #117 |
| 1925 | 1,545 | #115 |
| 1924 | 1,495 | #121 |
| 1923 | 1,172 | #139 |
| 1922 | 1,024 | #149 |
| 1921 | 877 | #167 |
| 1920 | 699 | #193 |
| 1919 | 508 | #235 |
| 1918 | 389 | #270 |
| 1917 | 268 | #332 |
| 1916 | 199 | #394 |
| 1915 | 148 | #450 |
| 1914 | 96 | #500 |
| 1913 | 67 | #523 |
| 1912 | 56 | #532 |
| 1911 | 33 | #514 |
| 1910 | 36 | #456 |
| 1909 | 20 | #590 |
| 1908 | 27 | #475 |
| 1907 | 16 | #634 |
| 1906 | 18 | #547 |
| 1905 | 18 | #549 |
| 1904 | 12 | #686 |
| 1903 | 9 | #783 |
| 1902 | 14 | #582 |
| 1901 | 13 | #559 |
| 1900 | 15 | #648 |
| 1899 | 9 | #714 |
| 1898 | 7 | #884 |
| 1897 | 8 | #786 |
| 1896 | 11 | #674 |
| 1895 | 6 | #977 |
| 1894 | 0 | – |
| 1893 | 7 | #836 |
| 1892 | 11 | #640 |
| 1891 | 0 | – |
| 1890 | 0 | – |
| 1889 | 0 | – |
| 1888 | 7 | #815 |
| 1887 | 0 | – |
| 1886 | 0 | – |
| 1885 | 7 | #765 |
| 1884 | 0 | – |
| 1883 | 0 | – |
| 1882 | 9 | #652 |
Names like Junior
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Frankie Stanley Sonny Harrison Oliver Jasper Vincent Harris Bobby Theodore Carter Dexter
More English names
Lily Evelyn Hudson Ivy Harper Grace Violet Willow Daisy Poppy Riley Oakley Mason Cooper Ruby Hallie
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Junior: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/junior, updated 20 October 2026.