Fun Facts About the Name Ector
- 783 babies named Ector: U.S. records list 783 babies given the name Ector from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Ector Mean?
Ector is a variant of Hector, a name of Greek origin. It goes back to the Greek Ἕκτωρ (Hektōr), which is usually connected to the verb ἔχειν (echein), meaning "to hold" or "to have." The literal sense most often given is "holding fast" or "possessor." Some reference works gloss the name more loosely as "defender," but that is a customary interpretation rather than a direct translation of the Greek word.
Since Ector is a variant rather than a separate name, it carries the same etymology as Hector. The spelling reflects a form of the name long used in French and English texts, in which the classical h is dropped.
Ector Name History & Origins
Ector shares its history with Hector. The name entered medieval Europe through the classical story of Hektōr, the Trojan prince who defends Troy in Homer's Iliad. In medieval French, the initial h was commonly dropped and the name was written Ector; that form passed into English along with the Arthurian stories.
In Arthurian legend, Sir Ector is the foster father who raises the young Arthur and is the father of Sir Kay. He appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Latin history and in later French and English romances, including Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur. A separate figure, Sir Ector de Maris, is a knight and the brother of Lancelot. These characters kept the Ector spelling familiar in English, though the name is far more common in literature than as a given name today.
How Popular is the Name Ector?
Ector 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 1995. Its best rank was #1,919 in 1953.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | #11,242 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #11,122 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #12,803 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #8,976 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2010 | #9,961 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2009 | #9,222 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #13,088 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 2007 | #6,750 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2006 | #4,559 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 2005 | #5,098 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2004 | #6,239 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2003 | #6,867 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2002 | #6,200 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2001 | #5,206 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2000 | #4,257 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 1999 | #5,408 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1998 | #4,264 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1997 | #5,767 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1996 | #6,137 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1995 | #3,224 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1994 | #4,603 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1993 | #3,541 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 1992 | #3,652 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1991 | #3,368 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 1990 | #3,654 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1989 | #3,504 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1988 | #3,758 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1987 | #6,343 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1986 | #4,580 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1985 | #2,747 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1983 | #3,292 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1982 | #3,164 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1981 | #3,477 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1980 | #2,647 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1979 | #3,643 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1978 | #3,949 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1977 | #5,332 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1976 | #2,740 | 15 | 0.0010% |
| 1975 | #3,298 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1974 | #5,446 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1973 | #2,340 | 17 | 0.0011% |
| 1972 | #4,112 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1971 | #3,449 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1970 | #2,948 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1969 | #3,697 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1968 | #4,302 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1967 | #2,831 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1966 | #3,061 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1965 | #2,206 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1963 | #3,126 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1962 | #2,905 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1961 | #4,234 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1960 | #2,157 | 15 | 0.0007% |
| 1959 | #2,885 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1958 | #2,693 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1957 | #2,881 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1956 | #2,304 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1955 | #3,037 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1954 | #3,241 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1953 | #1,919 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1952 | #3,469 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1951 | #2,719 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1950 | #2,631 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1946 | #2,977 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1942 | #3,712 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1935 | #3,361 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1934 | #3,829 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1931 | #3,183 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1929 | #3,320 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1928 | #3,162 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1927 | #3,238 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1926 | #3,839 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1922 | #3,971 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1921 | #3,990 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1919 | #3,505 | 7 | 0.0007% |
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 Ector Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are fine when in harmony but changeable when in discord, because many of your best qualities are then reversed. You are entertaining but may be impulsive. Freedom is a necessity, and you find it difficult to settle down. Your versatility results in many changes, and often brings travel. Your fine intellect is capable of high honors if applied seriously. You are capable of inspired thinking applied to material things. You can be restless, changeable, and very sexy. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Ector's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ector's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.