Cedar
Boy name · #1250 in 2025 · Very rare
Cedar ranks #1250 among American boys' names as of 2025, with 160 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #1502, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 11,250 boys born in 2025 was named Cedar.
The 53-year story
Cedar first appears in the Social Security records in 1972, when 6 boys received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2022, with 188 babies and a rank of #1125. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Cedar per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Cedar against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Cedar in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Cedar is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Cedar will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Cedar is most common
Geography matters for names, and Cedar is no exception. Adjusted for how many boys are born in each state, Cedar is most common in WA (0.5 per 1,000), CA (0.1 per 1,000), TX (0.1 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.1 per 1,000 boys. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Cedar is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like Cedar
Statistically, parents drawn to Cedar tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Cartier, Ammar, Umar, Ahmir, and Bear.
CartierAmmarUmarAhmirBearSamarCasperBriar
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Cedar | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 160 | #1244 |
| 2024 | 173 | #1189 |
| 2023 | 155 | #1248 |
| 2022 | 188 | #1125 |
| 2021 | 153 | #1245 |
| 2020 | 158 | #1201 |
| 2019 | 161 | #1188 |
| 2018 | 145 | #1261 |
| 2017 | 136 | #1321 |
| 2016 | 134 | #1329 |
| 2015 | 110 | #1502 |
| 2014 | 75 | #1920 |
| 2013 | 69 | #1989 |
| 2012 | 62 | #2155 |
| 2011 | 58 | #2232 |
| 2010 | 50 | #2467 |
| 2009 | 41 | #2894 |
| 2008 | 41 | #2879 |
| 2007 | 47 | #2602 |
| 2006 | 48 | #2513 |
| 2005 | 26 | #3615 |
| 2004 | 27 | #3456 |
| 2003 | 27 | #3366 |
| 2002 | 24 | #3554 |
| 2001 | 39 | #2489 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Cedar a popular boy name?
Cedar ranked #1250 among boys in 2025 with 160 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #1502.
When was the name Cedar most popular?
Cedar peaked in 2022, when 188 American boys received the name (ranked #1125 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Cedar?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 11,250 newborn American boys was named Cedar. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.