NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Honour

A virtue name derived from the Old French honur meaning high respect.

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Honour is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Honour popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4843, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2010, with 15 births.

This profile covers 208 England and Wales registrations across 28 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 27% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 210 living people in the UK are called Honour. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Honour ranked #4843 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 4 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2010, when 15 girls were registered as Honour.
  • Honour ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #816 in 2013.
  • About 210 living people in the UK are estimated to have Honour as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#4843

2024

Births in 2024

4

Latest year

Peak year

2010

15 births

Estimated living

210

2026

Meaning

What does Honour mean?

The name Honour has its origins in the Latin word "honor", which means respect, esteem, or reverence. It first emerged as a given name in the late 16th century during the Renaissance period in Europe.

The concept of honour was deeply rooted in ancient Roman and Greek cultures, where it was associated with virtues such as courage, integrity, and nobility. The personification of Honour was often depicted in art and literature as a goddess or a noble figure.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Honour can be found in the works of English playwright William Shakespeare. In his play "Henry IV, Part 1", written around 1597, Shakespeare introduced the character of Sir John Falstaff's page, named Honour.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Honour. One of the earliest examples is Honour Arundel (1593-1652), an English aristocrat and courtier during the reign of King James I.

Another prominent figure with this name was Honour Wilkinson (1628-1672), an English Puritan preacher and writer who advocated for religious tolerance and women's rights during the 17th century.

In the 18th century, Honour Grenville (1719-1796) was a British aristocrat and landowner, known for her involvement in charitable causes and her support for the abolition of the slave trade.

Honour Martin (1828-1914) was a British suffragist and social reformer who campaigned for women's rights and education in the late 19th century.

In the 20th century, Honour Maude (1900-1977) was a British author and journalist who wrote extensively about her travels and experiences during World War II.

These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Honour, reflecting its association with virtues such as respect, integrity, and nobility.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Honour over time

The chart below shows babies named Honour registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Honour, the clearest high point is 2010. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2024, compared with 15 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Honour
0481115199620102024

Decades

Honour by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Honour was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #4096 27 5
2010s #2545 103 10
2000s #2911 64 10
1990s #3030 14 3

Geography

Where Honour is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Honour. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Honour ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #816 in 2013.

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Honour in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#816 in 2013

1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Honour

  • Honour May

    pornographic actor

    British pornographic actress

    1995-

Related

Names similar to Honour

FAQ

Honour: questions and answers

How popular is the name Honour in the UK right now?

In 2024, Honour was ranked #4843 for girls in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.

When was Honour most popular?

The peak year on record was 2010, with 15 babies registered as Honour in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Honour?

A virtue name derived from the Old French honur meaning high respect.

How many people are called Honour in the UK?

A total of 208 babies have been registered as Honour across the 28 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.

Where is Honour most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Honour ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #816 in 2013. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.