Fun Facts About the Name Draco
- More than 1 thousand babies named Draco: U.S. records list 1,422 babies given the name Draco from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Draco Mean?
Draco means "dragon" or "serpent." It is the Latin noun draco, borrowed from Greek δράκων (drakōn), which carried the same sense of a large snake or dragon. Greek drakōn is traditionally connected to the verb δέρκομαι (derkomai), "to see" or "to look," which would give a literal sense such as "the sharp-sighted one," a nod to the keen eyes attributed to serpents. That connection is old and often repeated, but it is an ancient association rather than something provable; the settled meaning of the word itself is simply "dragon, serpent."
Draco Name History & Origins
In Greek and Latin alike, drakōn and draco were ordinary nouns for a large snake or a dragon before either was a personal name. Greek myth used the word for serpentine monsters, including Ladon, the dragon that guarded the golden apples of the Hesperides. Roman use added a military sense: the draco was a cavalry standard made as a dragon's head with a flowing body, carried by riders in the later Roman army. The Latin noun passed into European languages in forms such as Old French dragon and English dragon, and its diminutive underlies the Wallachian byname Dracul ("the dragon"), taken by Vlad II and passed to his son Vlad III, remembered as Dracula, "son of Dracul."
As a personal name, Draco is chiefly known from the Athenian lawgiver of the late seventh century BC. Ancient writers, including Aristotle in the Constitution of Athens, credit him with putting Athens' laws into written form, traditionally dated around 621 BC, and describe the code as severe enough that later Athenians called it written in blood; from this comes the adjective draconian. Some modern scholars doubt that a single lawgiver by that name existed, since the word simply means "dragon" and could have been attached to an older body of law; a later Athenian inscription naming a Drakon in connection with homicide law has been linked to him but not confirmed as the same man.
The name also belongs to Draco, one of the constellations catalogued by Ptolemy, pictured as a dragon coiled around the north celestial pole - here it is the plain noun rather than a person's name. In modern English, Draco is most familiar as the name of Draco Malfoy in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books, a literary use that draws on the older Greek and Latin word rather than on the Athenian lawgiver.
How Popular is the Name Draco?
Draco has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2021. Its best rank was #1,208 in 2021.
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.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,733 | 94 | 0.0055% |
| 2024 | #1,280 | 153 | 0.0089% |
| 2023 | #1,608 | 108 | 0.0063% |
| 2022 | #1,387 | 134 | 0.0077% |
| 2021 | #1,208 | 160 | 0.0092% |
| 2020 | #1,604 | 101 | 0.0059% |
| 2019 | #1,645 | 99 | 0.0055% |
| 2018 | #2,191 | 63 | 0.0035% |
| 2017 | #3,081 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 2016 | #3,177 | 36 | 0.0019% |
| 2015 | #3,173 | 36 | 0.0019% |
| 2014 | #2,820 | 42 | 0.0022% |
| 2013 | #3,777 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 2012 | #2,459 | 51 | 0.0027% |
| 2011 | #3,383 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 2010 | #3,478 | 31 | 0.0016% |
| 2009 | #4,625 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2008 | #3,963 | 26 | 0.0013% |
| 2007 | #3,717 | 28 | 0.0013% |
| 2006 | #4,129 | 23 | 0.0011% |
| 2005 | #3,745 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 2004 | #4,461 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2003 | #5,102 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2002 | #5,826 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2001 | #5,771 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2000 | #4,852 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1999 | #8,104 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1998 | #8,789 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #6,789 | 8 | 0.0004% |
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.
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How the Name Draco Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are strong in material matters, determined and stubborn. You have good business ability. You are a good worker, steady and practical, a builder who takes responsibility well. These qualities may bring you a position of authority and power. You are a doer, down-to-earth, serious-minded, reliable, and self-disciplined; have good power of concentration. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Draco's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Draco's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.