Name Awesome

Sinclair

#6,396 in 2025UnisexBoys' nameGirls' name

Transferred from a surname; no fixed literal translation

Sinclair has been given to 1,912 babies in the U.S. since 1900. In 2025 it ranked #6,396 of 13,926 boys’ names in use. Its peak year was 1924, with 29 recorded. It's used for both sexes: 75% boys, 25% girls all-time.

Babies named Sinclair, 2025

1 in 237,000

Sinclair over time, 1880–2025

BoysGirls
010203018801900192019401960198020002020

Based on births in the U.S. Babies given the name each year. Hover the chart — or focus it and use the arrow keys — for any year. Gaps mean the name was given fewer than 5 times that year; these counts are unpublished.

Girls or boys — Sinclair over time

In 2025, Sinclair went to 67% girls and 33% boys.

19002025

A sex is only published in years it reached five applications, so a stretch at 0% or 100% means the other side stayed under that floor — not that it was never used.

Sinclair: meaning, origin, and history

Transferred from a surname; no fixed literal translation

surname transfer

What Sinclair means

Sinclair is a given name.

Dictionary etymologyReferences, data & attribution

Derived from Saint Clare, to whom the clan's churches were dedicated.

Excerpt from Wiktionary: Sinclair (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Origin, language, and formation

Sinclair is used in English. Its origins include surname transfer.

Sinclair is recorded as a surname transferred into given-name use.

Pronunciation and spelling

In English, Sinclair is pronounced /sɪŋˈklɛəɹ/.

American usage and historical context

In the United States, 1,435 boys were recorded with the name Sinclair between 1900 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 29 in 1924; its best national rank was #1,039 in 1900.

Over 5 years its rank rose, from #8,619 in 2020 to #6,396 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank rose, from #7,949 in 2015 to #6,396 in 2025.

In the United States, 477 girls were recorded with the name Sinclair between 1989 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 29 in 2025; its best national rank was #4,666 in 1994.

Over 5 years its rank rose, from #10,969 in 2020 to #4,739 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank rose, from #7,225 in 2015 to #4,739 in 2025.

How common is Sinclair?

Everything below is computed from the 2025 data — the most recent year available.

Among all babies, 2025
1 in 237,000
14 of 3,315,165 births
Among boys only
1 in 122,000
<0.01% of boys
Rank, 2025
#6,396
of 13,926 boys’ names in use
Coin-flip room size
164,137 kids
Even odds of a second one

Where Sinclair sits on the popularity scale

Rarest published (5 a year)#1 — Liam (20,818)

Chance at least one other child shares the name

If the other children were drawn at random from the 2025 national name distribution. Real classrooms cluster by region and community, so treat these as a floor, not a ceiling.

Class of 20Under 1%
Class of 30Under 1%
Grade of 100Under 1%
School of 500Under 1%

Put another way: gather 164,137 children born in 2025 and it's an even bet that one of them is another Sinclair. In a class of 30 the chance is Under 1%.

When Sinclairs were born

Half of everyone ever recorded as Sinclair was born before 1955 — so the typical Sinclair is around 70 today.

Median birth year
1955
About 70 years old
Biggest decade
1920s
13.8% of all use
Born in the last 25 years
11.6%
Spread across generations
Recorded since 1950
824
People you could plausibly meet
Choose a decade

1920s — 13.8% of all recorded uses (198).

Is Sinclair rising or falling?

Rank movement and count movement can disagree — the number of distinct names in use keeps growing, so a name holding a steady count still slides down the list. Both are shown.

Rank vs 1 year ago
+375
Places climbed
Rank vs 5 years ago
+2,223
Places climbed
Rank vs 10 years ago
+1,553
Places climbed
Births vs 10 years ago
1.40×
More babies than then
Share of its own peak
48.3%
Peak was 1924 (29)
Years since peak
101
Years
Year-to-year steadiness
Volatile
30.0% average annual change
Best rank ever
#1,039
1900

Where Sinclair is used — boys

Across 1910–2025, Sinclair was most concentrated in South Carolina — about 1 in 25,000 boys, against 1 in 249,315 across all states with data. It was least common in New York (1 in —).

04 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1South Carolina1 in 25,000
  2. 2Florida1 in —
  3. 3Georgia1 in —
  4. 4North Carolina1 in —
  5. 5New York1 in —

Shading is the share of that state's recorded boys given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings. Sinclair has too little recent state data to map, so this covers all years from 1910.

Where Sinclair is used — girls

Across 1910–2025, Sinclair was most concentrated in California — about 1 in — girls, against 1 in 2,051,187 across all states with data. It was least common in Texas (1 in —).

00 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1California1 in —
  2. 2Georgia1 in —
  3. 3Texas1 in —

Shading is the share of that state's recorded girls given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings. Sinclair has too little recent state data to map, so this covers all years from 1910.

Sinclair around the world

Where Sinclair ranks in official birth records elsewhere in the world. Rankings only — the number of births isn’t comparable between places, so it isn’t shown.

  • England & Wales
    1998–2012
    #4,805
    in 2012
  • Scotland
    1975–1986
    #317
    in 1986
  • France
    1973–2011
    #5,158
    in 2011
  • South Australia
    1952–2008
    #726
    in 2008

Popularity data from Office for National Statistics, National Records of Scotland, Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques and Consumer and Business Services (South Australia). ONS, NRS data under Open Government Licence v3.0. INSEE data under Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0. CBS SA data under CC BY 4.0.

Sinclair by the numbers

The raw record for each sex the name is used for.

As a boy's name

Rank in 2025
#6,396
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Up 2,223
Best rank ever
#1,039
1900
Peak year
1924
29 that year
First recorded
1900
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
1,435
Count in 2025
14

As a girl's name

Rank in 2025
#4,739
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Up 6,230
Best rank ever
#4,666
1994
Peak year
2025
29 that year
First recorded
1989
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
477
Count in 2025
29

Names similar to Sinclair

Matched on shared beginnings and endings, similar length, and comparable popularity.

AlastairAlasdairAlistairSincereAldairZubairSinanAdairNirvairSinaiSinaKyairSinjinZuhairZyairUzairUmairSyairAltairAllistairSingletonOmairJamairStclair

Sibling names for Sinclair

Names from the same era and popularity tier — the two things that make a sibling set feel deliberate — skipping lookalike spellings and shared initials.

Explore around Sinclair

Top names of 1924, Sinclair's peak yearThe 1920s in fullOther names that peaked in 1900Boys' names starting with S