Major

Where Major comes from

Major hasn't made it into the dictionaries we draw on, and nobody well known enough for an encyclopedia has carried it yet — so for now its story is the one the SSA record tells. Names that spell a familiar sound a new way often live here for a while before anyone writes them down.

Along the way
  1. 1880
    First SSA year
    Already #320 among boys — 28 babies in the first year on record.
  2. 1889
    Peak, #244
    44 babies named Major — more than any year before or since.
  3. 1901
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #399.
  4. 1936
    Major Owens born
    American politician
  5. 1947
    Major Harris born
    American R&B singer
In the dictionary

No dictionary entry for this spelling — which is its own kind of rare.

Namesakes
  • Major Owens · American politician, 1936–2013
  • Major Harris · American R&B singer, 1947–2012
  • Major Holley · American jazz upright bassist, 1924–1990
  • Major Booth · Cricket player of England., 1886–1916
  • Major Wright · American football player, defensive back, safety, born 1988

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.