Fun Facts About the Name Promise
- More than 6 thousand babies named Promise: U.S. records list 6,831 babies given the name Promise from 1880 through 2025. Even 412 boys received the name Promise - about 1 boy for every 16 girls.
What Does the Name Promise Mean?
Promise is an English word name taken directly from the common noun promise, a pledge or assurance that something will be done. The noun comes from Latin promissum, "a promise," from the verb promittere, "to send forth, promise," formed from pro-, "forth," and mittere, "to send." The English word has carried the sense of a binding declaration since the Middle Ages.
As a given name it keeps that literal meaning; it is not a form of a saint's name or of a Germanic name that happens to sound similar. Any religious coloring the name has comes from the use of the word itself in Christian speech, not from a separate etymology.
Promise Name History & Origins
Promise belongs to the English tradition of word names, in which a child is given a common noun from moral or religious vocabulary instead of a name inherited from saints or Germanic roots. This custom was especially strong among English Puritans in the 16th and 17th centuries, whose word names included Faith, Hope, Charity, Patience, Prudence, Temperance, Obedience, and Experience. Promise is formed on the same pattern, though it is a less familiar member of the group than Faith or Hope.
The word also had a particular place in religious language. In Christian usage, "the promises of God" refers to his covenants and assurances, and "the promise of the Father" is a phrase applied to the coming of the Holy Spirit. A family choosing this name was drawing on the ordinary English noun with those associations behind it.
In more recent English-speaking use, Promise appears chiefly in the United States and in West Africa, especially Nigeria and Ghana, where English word names such as Blessing, Gift, Favour, and Precious are common. It is also used in some African American and evangelical Christian communities alongside other virtue and word names.
How Popular is the Name Promise?
Promise recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2023. Its best rank was #716 in 2023.
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 | #826 | 330 | 0.0205% |
| 2024 | #818 | 336 | 0.0208% |
| 2023 | #716 | 393 | 0.0245% |
| 2022 | #782 | 364 | 0.0222% |
| 2021 | #736 | 388 | 0.0237% |
| 2020 | #853 | 319 | 0.0197% |
| 2019 | #846 | 319 | 0.0190% |
| 2018 | #912 | 295 | 0.0173% |
| 2017 | #1,063 | 242 | 0.0140% |
| 2016 | #1,172 | 215 | 0.0121% |
| 2015 | #1,071 | 246 | 0.0138% |
| 2014 | #1,046 | 249 | 0.0139% |
| 2013 | #1,118 | 218 | 0.0124% |
| 2012 | #1,164 | 211 | 0.0120% |
| 2011 | #1,132 | 217 | 0.0123% |
| 2010 | #1,132 | 217 | 0.0122% |
| 2009 | #1,230 | 203 | 0.0111% |
| 2008 | #1,240 | 203 | 0.0107% |
| 2007 | #1,356 | 179 | 0.0093% |
| 2006 | #1,486 | 149 | 0.0078% |
| 2005 | #1,715 | 116 | 0.0063% |
| 2004 | #1,790 | 107 | 0.0058% |
| 2003 | #1,881 | 98 | 0.0054% |
| 2002 | #2,371 | 68 | 0.0038% |
| 2001 | #1,804 | 99 | 0.0055% |
| 2000 | #2,168 | 74 | 0.0041% |
| 1999 | #2,418 | 61 | 0.0034% |
| 1998 | #2,359 | 60 | 0.0034% |
| 1997 | #2,355 | 57 | 0.0033% |
| 1996 | #3,011 | 40 | 0.0023% |
| 1995 | #2,718 | 45 | 0.0026% |
| 1994 | #2,978 | 40 | 0.0022% |
| 1993 | #4,212 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 1992 | #4,990 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1991 | #7,286 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1990 | #7,183 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1989 | #7,874 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1988 | #5,246 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1987 | #4,093 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1986 | #6,978 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1985 | #3,703 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1984 | #6,638 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1983 | #4,417 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1982 | #6,720 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1981 | #4,892 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1980 | #6,206 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1979 | #6,556 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1978 | #6,265 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1977 | #4,582 | 15 | 0.0010% |
| 1976 | #6,433 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1975 | #10,160 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,343 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 2024 | #4,824 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2023 | #4,082 | 27 | 0.0016% |
| 2022 | #3,200 | 38 | 0.0022% |
| 2021 | #5,280 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2020 | #4,114 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2019 | #3,968 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 2018 | #5,484 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2017 | #4,704 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2016 | #8,016 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2015 | #5,231 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2014 | #7,423 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2013 | #5,587 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2012 | #8,698 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2011 | #8,602 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2010 | #5,192 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2009 | #6,347 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2008 | #6,321 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2007 | #8,024 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2006 | #7,864 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2005 | #8,141 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2004 | #8,015 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2003 | #8,433 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2002 | #8,251 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #10,222 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #10,015 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #11,172 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #9,933 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1992 | #9,458 | 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 Promise Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a power of expression, either in speaking or writing. You are in favor for studying and research. You are clever, clear-sighted and intellectual. You don't like to let others know your true feelings. You might be atheistic or agnostic. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
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.
✦ Promise's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Promise's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.