Fun Facts About the Name Honour
- 375 babies named Honour: U.S. records list 375 babies given the name Honour from 1880 through 2025. Even 109 boys received the name Honour - about 1 boy for every 2 girls.
What Does the Name Honour Mean?
Honour is an English word name meaning "esteem, respect, or dignity." It comes from the Latin noun honor (also spelled honos), which meant esteem, good repute, and dignity, and which could also refer to a public office or to the distinction attached to it. Latin honor passed into Old French as honor and honour, and from Old French into Middle English as honour. The British spelling with -our preserves that French route; American English later simplified the word to honor, and the given name follows the same split.
As a personal name, Honour is a virtue name: it uses the ordinary English noun directly rather than coming from a saint's name or from an inherited Germanic name. The Roman names Honorius and Honoria are built on the same Latin root, but the English virtue name is generally understood as a direct use of the word, not as a continuation of those Roman names. The spelling Honor is the American form of the same name, not a different name with a different derivation.
Honour Name History & Origins
Names of this type entered English usage in the 16th and 17th centuries, when Puritan and other Protestant families gave children word names such as Faith, Hope, Charity, Prudence, Patience, and Honor. These names were taken from English vocabulary with moral or religious weight instead of from the traditional stock of saints' names, and Honour belongs to that group. It was used in England mainly as a girl's name and stayed uncommon.
Because the name is simply the common noun, its history is tied to the spelling history of the word itself rather than to a line of inherited name forms. The related Latin-derived feminine names Honora and Honoria were also used in England and Ireland, but Honour is a separate English coinage from the noun, and the two should not be treated as the same name. In modern use the -our spelling is standard in Britain and other Commonwealth countries, while Honor is standard in the United States.
How Popular is the Name Honour?
Honour 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 2016. Its best rank was #5,100 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.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #10,410 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2024 | #7,714 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 2023 | #7,391 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2022 | #6,821 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2021 | #6,498 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 2020 | #7,347 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2019 | #8,295 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2018 | #11,816 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2017 | #9,558 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2016 | #5,866 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2015 | #8,160 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2014 | #8,655 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2013 | #11,356 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2012 | #15,690 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #8,817 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2010 | #12,735 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #8,610 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2003 | #12,917 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #10,405 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1999 | #11,829 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1998 | #9,568 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1997 | #14,579 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #14,320 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #12,479 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | #7,396 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2023 | #6,664 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2022 | #5,100 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2021 | #12,828 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2020 | #11,115 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2019 | #8,445 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #12,877 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2017 | #12,987 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #7,319 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2015 | #12,795 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #12,774 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #12,970 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #13,180 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #13,056 | 5 | 0.0002% |
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 Honour Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You attract success and money. You are a lover of nature and do not need others for your happiness. You are self sufficient. You strive for material success and power and have business sense. You possess strong organizational abilities, can be a good manager, and executive by nature. You are capable of great achievement in business and finance. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Honour's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Honour's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.