Ace
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Meaning
from the playing-card term, ultimately Latin "as" (unit)
The story
Ace began as an English word before it became a nickname and a given name. It came through French from Latin as, a word for a unit or coin. In games, an ace was the side of a die with one spot or a card with a single mark. Depending on the card game, that card could rank highest.
That card-playing history helps explain why English also uses "ace" for someone exceptionally good at something. Tennis gives it a more specific meaning: a serve the opponent does not touch. The name shares those familiar associations, and has been recorded as a boys’ given name in the United States for more than a century.
How popular is Ace around the world?
In the United States, 13,735 babies were named Ace between 2020 and 2025.
Ace is on the official records of the United States, New Zealand, Scotland, South Australia, Canada, England and Wales, Ireland and Austria.
United States
1 in 1,600
In the United States, 13,735 babies were named Ace between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Ace peaked in the 2020s.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
New Zealand
1 in 1,600
In New Zealand, 35 boys named Ace were registered in 2025.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
Scotland
1 in 2,100
In Scotland, 22 boys named Ace were registered in 2024, the 191st most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
South Australia
1 in 3,7002017
In South Australia, 5 boys were registered as Ace in 2017.
The count never rose above 5 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Canada
1 in 3,800
In Canada, 95 boys named Ace were born in 2024, the 347th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
England and Wales
1 in 5,000
In England and Wales, 117 boys named Ace were born in 2025, the 360th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Ireland
1 in 18,000
In Ireland, 3 boys named Ace were born in 2025, the 829th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
Austria
1 in 25,000
In Austria, 3 boys named Ace were born in 2025, the 981st most common name among boys that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
Not on the record in Spain, Mexico City, Argentina, Puerto Rico and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years. Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Ace
Most people given the name Ace in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Keep exploring
Names like Ace · Names that go with Ace · Middle names for Ace · Short names · Nickname-proof names
The Ace deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Ace truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Ace fits with your family’s names and surname.
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