April
Meaning
the English month name, probably from Latin aperire, 'to open,' referring to flowers opening
Say it: AY-prul
The story
April comes from the English calendar: the month name is probably related to Latin aperio, to open, in reference to flowers opening. Reference works date its common use as a given name only from the 1940s, and the US record shows the scale of what followed. About 10,200 babies appear in the 1950s, 28,400 in the 1960s, then 77,200 in the 1970s and 76,200 in the 1980s. The totals later recede to 25,800 in the 1990s, 7,600 in the 2010s and 3,520 so far this decade. Across our published series there are about 242,900 girls and 670 boys. Other calendar names trace different curves: June totals about 208,800, May 44,200 and the Spanish month name Abril 9,300. April's story belongs specifically to English, a month that became a mid-century name and then a generational marker.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. April peaked in the 1970s and the 1980s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
24 people · the #109,849 first name in Brazil · median age 12
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet April
People given the name April in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1970 to 1989. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The April deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where April 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 April fits with your family’s names and surname.
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