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Homer Name Meaning, Origins & History

Homer

Pronunciation: HOH-mur

Meaning Security, pledge Origin Ancient Greek Gender Boy
BOYS RANK
#4,769
TREND
664
Peak Years
1920, 1918, 1921
Lowest Years
2003, 2009, 2001
Energy Archetype
Ambitious & Self-Sufficient

Rank shows the name’s position among U.S. baby names for each gender in 2025. Trend shows how many places it rose or fell since 2024. Rank 1 is the most popular. Based on U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) data. Peak and lowest years are based on the number of boys named Homer in the available records.

Fun Facts About the Name Homer

  • A favorite of earlier generations: Homer appeared in the U.S. top 100 in 4 separate runs, totaling 37 years. Its last run lasted 1 consecutive years, from 1920 through 1920.
  • More than 61 thousand babies named Homer: U.S. records list 61,279 babies given the name Homer from 1880 through 2025. Even 367 girls received the name Homer - about 1 girl for every 166 boys.

What Does the Name Homer Mean?

Homer is the English form of the Latin Homerus, which comes from the Greek name Ὅμηρος (Homeros). That Greek name is usually connected to the word ὅμηρος (homeros), meaning "hostage" or "pledge," and the name is often explained with that sense. The derivation is not settled, though. Ancient Greek writers also read the name as "the one who does not see," a folk explanation prompted by the tradition that the poet Homer was blind. Because the name appears early in Greek with no clear earlier form behind it, no single origin has been proven.

Homer Name History & Origins

The name came into English through Latin Homerus, the form used across Europe for the Greek poet Ὅμηρος, to whom the Iliad and the Odyssey are traditionally attributed. Greek tradition pictured Homer as a blind, wandering singer, and that image shaped how the name was understood; the old claim that the name means "blind" grew out of the story rather than out of the word itself.

Ὅμηρος was not only the poet's name. It also appears as an ordinary personal name in the Greek world, and it passed into Latin and later European languages in that form. In English it is found as both a given name and a surname. Parents who chose Homer as a given name were generally recalling the poet, and the name has kept that literary association.

Other ancient explanations tied the name to the word for a pledge or a hostage, and some modern accounts repeat that link without firm proof. What can be said with confidence is that the name is Greek, that it is older than any surviving explanation of it, and that its meaning has been debated since antiquity.

How Popular is the Name Homer?

Homer has a rich multi-era history in the U.S. top 100, spanning 37 total years and enjoying its modern revival from 1920 to 1920.

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.

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.

Explore Name Lists Featuring Homer

Carl appears in several baby name collections based on U.S. popularity records, naming trends, and name characteristics. Explore these lists to discover other names with similar histories, styles, or features.

Past Favorite Boy Names

Past Favorite Boy Names: Once-Popular Names

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How the Name Homer 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 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.

✦ Homer's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Homer's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.
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