Truman

Where Truman comes from

The dictionaries list Truman as a given name — a male given name — but don't trace where it came from. The record below is what the SSA data shows.

  • 2 syllables
Along the way
  1. 1836
    Truman Henry Safford born
    American astronomer
  2. 1880
    First SSA year
    Already #526 among boys — 12 babies in the first year on record.
  3. 1924
    Truman Capote born
    American writer
  4. 1945
    Peak, #247
    540 babies named Truman — more than any year before or since.
  5. 1947
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #470.
In the dictionary
  • A male given name.
Namesakes
  • Truman Capote · American writer, 1924–1984
  • Truman Henry Safford · American astronomer, 1836–1901
  • Truman Handy Newberry · American politician, 1864–1945
  • Truman Smith · American politician, 1791–1884
  • Truman G. Yuncker · U.S. botanist and educator, 1891–1964

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.