Fun Facts About the Name Favor
- 656 babies named Favor: U.S. records list 656 babies given the name Favor from 1880 through 2025. Even 139 boys received the name Favor - about 1 boy for every 4 girls.
What Does the Name Favor Mean?
Favor is an English word name meaning "kindness," "goodwill," or "approval." It comes from the English noun favor, which was borrowed from Latin favor, meaning "goodwill, partiality, support." The Latin noun is related to the verb favere, "to be favorable to" or "to support."
In Christian usage, the word often translates Greek charis ("grace" or "favor") in the New Testament, as in the description of Jesus growing "in favor with God and man." That religious sense is a customary interpretation of the word, not a separate etymology. The name is not a transliteration of a biblical Hebrew personal name; it is the English word used as a given name.
Favor Name History & Origins
Favor entered English from Old French favor, which came from Latin favor. The word has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world, though it has never been common. It belongs to the broad tradition of English virtue and word names, such as Grace, Faith, Hope, and Charity, which became established especially among Puritans and other Protestant groups in the 16th and 17th centuries.
The spelling Favour is also used, chiefly in British English. Favour is well established in Nigeria and other parts of West Africa, where English word names are common, while Favor is the usual American spelling.
Because the name is simply the English word, its history is tied to the history of that word rather than to a saint, ruler, or literary character. Its use as a name reflects the wider English practice of naming children after virtues and religious concepts.
How Popular is the Name Favor?
Favor 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 #4,440 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 | #4,589 | 30 | 0.0019% |
| 2024 | #4,488 | 31 | 0.0019% |
| 2023 | #5,287 | 24 | 0.0015% |
| 2022 | #4,705 | 29 | 0.0018% |
| 2021 | #4,440 | 31 | 0.0019% |
| 2020 | #7,328 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2019 | #4,953 | 27 | 0.0016% |
| 2018 | #5,213 | 25 | 0.0015% |
| 2017 | #7,576 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2016 | #5,852 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2015 | #5,028 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 2014 | #4,817 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 2013 | #5,055 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 2012 | #5,600 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 2011 | #6,662 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2010 | #7,015 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2009 | #8,589 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2008 | #7,864 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2007 | #6,910 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2006 | #5,432 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 2005 | #7,247 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2004 | #6,051 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2003 | #10,721 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2002 | #16,284 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #8,469 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2024 | #9,241 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2023 | #8,456 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2022 | #6,949 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2021 | #8,376 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2019 | #7,812 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2018 | #8,373 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2017 | #7,242 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2015 | #12,674 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #9,999 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2012 | #11,239 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #6,043 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2010 | #12,882 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2008 | #7,876 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2007 | #12,956 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 2004 | #11,926 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #11,450 | 5 | 0.0003% |
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 Favor Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are kind, home-loving, hospitable and friendly. Since you take responsibility well, you are a good organizer of social affairs. Compassion for others is an outstanding trait. You are a great lover and a great flirt – an artist, musician, actor, teacher, nurse. Your character can be contradictory. You are practical, yet idealistic and intuitive; capable of selfless devotion to someone you love, yet look to receive payback. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Favor's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Favor's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.