Is Temple a boy or girl name?

Temple is a unisex name. Of the 2,396 Americans recorded with the name since 1880, 65.4% were girls and 34.6% were boys. It changed hands in 1961, and has gone mainly to girls since.

Name Legacy

Temple

Recorded 1884–2025 · United States

Temple was most popular in 1971, when 104 American babies were given the name — ranking #1,854 that year. In 2025 it ranked #17,163, with 9 births. Across 1880–2025 the Social Security Administration has recorded 2,396 people named Temple.

Temple over time

Births per year. The dot marks Temple’s peak in 1971. Gaps are years the SSA suppressed, which it does for any name given to fewer than five babies.

Is Temple a boy’s or a girl’s name?

Across the whole record Temple is a unisex name — 65.4% of the 2,396 Americans given it were girls and 34.6% were boys. It changed hands: since 1961 it has gone mainly to girls, having gone mainly to boys before that. In births since 2016 it is 78% girls and 22% boys.

Counted from every US birth the Social Security Administration recorded under this name, so it reflects use rather than opinion. A name given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year is withheld at source and is not counted.

Names that peaked alongside Temple

Where Temple is most concentrated

How much more common the name is in each state than across the country as a whole.

Texas 6.8×

Explore further

See Temple on the interactive charts

Source: U.S.A. Social Security Administration. Years 1880–2025. namelegacy.org