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Ace Name Meaning, Origins & History

Ace

Pronunciation: AYSS

Meaning Unity Origin Latin Gender Boy
BOYS RANK
#164
TREND
1
GIRLS RANK
#8,864
TREND
3,442
Peak Years
2022, 2021, 2023
Lowest Years
1895, 1884, 1899
Energy Archetype
Powerful & Complete

Rank shows the name’s position among U.S. baby names for each gender in 2025. Trend shows how many places it rose or fell since 2024. Rank 1 is the most popular. Based on U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) data. Peak and lowest years are based on the number of boys named Ace in the available records.

Fun Facts About the Name Ace

  • More than 26 thousand babies named Ace: U.S. records list 26,467 babies given the name Ace from 1880 through 2025. Even 164 girls received the name Ace - about 1 girl for every 160 boys.

What Does the Name Ace Mean?

Ace is an English word name meaning "one" - literally a single unit or a die face showing one pip - and, by extension, "an expert." It comes from the English noun ace, borrowed from Old French as, which descends from Latin as (genitive assis), a Roman unit of weight and a bronze coin. The Latin word's own origin is not settled: it is sometimes connected with Latin aes ("bronze, copper, money"), but the two words differ in form and the relationship is uncertain.

In Old French, as named the side of a die with a single pip. English took up the word in the Middle Ages for that die face and later for the playing card of the same value. The sense "a person who excels" is a much later extension of the noun, and it is the meaning most people have in mind when the word is used as a given name.

Ace Name History & Origins

Latin as began as a unit of weight equal to one Roman pound (libra) and became the name of the bronze coin struck at roughly that weight. As the coin was reduced in weight over the centuries, the word kept its basic sense of "a unit" and stayed in use for reckoning. Old French inherited it as as, where it came to mean the face of a die showing a single spot - the lowest throw in most dice games. The same word passed into other European languages, such as Italian asso and German Ass.

English adopted it in the 14th century, spelled as or ace, at first for the die face and later for the playing card of that value. In card games the ace is frequently the highest card, which reverses its low standing at dice. The idiom "within an ace of," meaning very close to something, comes from the same idea of a single pip.

The figurative sense "one who excels" is recorded from the early 20th century and was spread by "flying ace," a World War I term for a pilot credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft. The same era produced "ace" for an unreturnable tennis serve, and later the verb "to ace" an examination.

As a personal name, Ace is typically masculine and functions as a word name rather than a form inherited from an older naming tradition. It has often served as a nickname for someone known for a skill, as with the rock guitarist Ace Frehley, born Paul Frehley. It also appears in fiction, including Ace Ventura in the 1994 film and the Doctor Who companion Ace, uses that follow the word's established sense of a top performer.

How Popular is the Name Ace?

Ace recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2022. Its best rank was #152 in 2022.

U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.

Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.

Famous People Named Ace

Ace Young
Ace Young

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How the Name Ace Shapes Your Personality and Life?

Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.

You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.

✦ Ace's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ace's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.
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