Major peaked in 2017 and holds at current rank #580, with 21,255 total SSA bearers. It belongs to a specific category of American naming that peaked in the 2010s: title names — names derived from military ranks, occupational titles, or words that imply authority. Major, General, Duke, and Captain all moved through this trend together, each finding its own level.
Greater Than Most
Major comes from the Latin word maior, meaning "greater" — the comparative form of magnus (great). As a military rank, Major sits between Captain and Lieutenant Colonel. As a given name, it entered the British tradition primarily through surname use — John Major was British Prime Minister from 1990 to 1997 — and crossed into American first-name use as the title-name trend accelerated. The meaning "greater" is the kind of aspirational name attribute that parent-focused naming discussions love: simple, unambiguous, impossible to argue with.
Who Uses Major
Steph Curry named his son Canon; Travis Scott named his son Aire. Celebrity naming doesn't directly drive SSA numbers, but it signals cultural comfort with a certain category of name. Major has appeared in Black American naming with some frequency alongside Duke and Prince. The name also appears in military families who value the rank itself as a meaningful reference. These are different communities reaching the same name for different reasons, which gives Major a breadth unusual for a newer name.
The Title-Name Ceiling
Title names tend to peak and plateau rather than building decades-long careers. Earl and Duke peaked in the early 20th century and now sit firmly in the vintage-unusual category. Major peaked in 2017 and has been leveling. Parents who like the authority of the word but want something with older roots might look at Magnus : same Latin root, different form : or consider how Major pairs as a middle name, where it often works even better than as a first. Check falling names to see the broader trend context.