At a glance
- U.S. rank 2025
- #2,390 of boy names (outside the top 1,000)
- Babies in 2025
- 57 (<0.01% of boys)
- Trend
- Slipping #1,895 in 2020 to #2,390 in 2025
- Peak
- #1,861 in 2022
- First recorded
- 1991
Meaning of Quest
Quest, a masculine appellation drawn directly from the English noun meaning “search” or “pursuit,” ultimately traces its lexical ancestry to the Latin verb “quaerere” (“to seek”) by way of Old French “queste”; as such, the name embodies a semantic field concerned with inquiry, perseverance, and forward motion. Within Anglo-American cultural history, the term evokes both the Arthurian Grail narratives and, more recently, the idiom of interactive storytelling and gaming, thereby positioning the bearer in conceptual proximity to ideals of existential exploration. Demographic evidence indicates that, while never approaching mass popularity, Quest has maintained a steady—albeit modest—presence in United States birth records since the early 1990s, consistently occupying ranks in the mid-700s to mid-900s and suggesting a niche but enduring appeal among parents drawn to abstract virtue or concept names. Its phonological form is concise, stress-initial, and readily articulated (/kwɛst/), qualities that enhance usability despite its unconventional status. Collectively, these linguistic, literary, and statistical factors frame Quest as a modern word-name choice that projects curiosity and determination without reliance on traditional familial or biblical precedent.
How to pronounce Quest
English
- Pronounced kwest /kwɛst/
Popularity of Quest in the U.S.
Quest was the #2,390 boy name in the U.S. in 2025, with 57 babies. It peaked at #1,861 in 2022. It first appears in the records in 1991.
- Rank among U.S. boy names (right scale, #1 at the top)
Year-by-year table, 1991–2025 35 rows
| Year | Babies | Rank | vs previous year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 57 | 2,390 | ▼ 270 |
| 2024 | 70 | 2,120 | ▼ 245 |
| 2023 | 84 | 1,875 | ▼ 14 |
| 2022 | 85 | 1,861 | ▲ 103 |
| 2021 | 76 | 1,964 | ▼ 69 |
| 2020 | 78 | 1,895 | ▲ 167 |
| 2019 | 70 | 2,062 | ▲ 484 |
| 2018 | 50 | 2,546 | ▲ 126 |
| 2017 | 46 | 2,672 | ▲ 558 |
| 2016 | 35 | 3,230 | ▲ 545 |
| 2015 | 28 | 3,775 | ▼ 243 |
| 2014 | 30 | 3,532 | ▲ 1,272 |
| 2013 | 19 | 4,804 | ▲ 678 |
| 2012 | 16 | 5,482 | ▼ 49 |
| 2011 | 16 | 5,433 | ▼ 1,067 |
| 2010 | 22 | 4,366 | ▲ 2,870 |
| 2009 | 11 | 7,236 | ▼ 49 |
| 2008 | 11 | 7,187 | ▼ 925 |
| 2007 | 13 | 6,262 | ▼ 737 |
| 2006 | 15 | 5,525 | ▼ 894 |
| 2005 | 18 | 4,631 | ▲ 2,905 |
| 2004 | 9 | 7,536 | ▼ 1,278 |
| 2003 | 11 | 6,258 | ▲ 264 |
| 2002 | 10 | 6,522 | ▼ 2,680 |
| 2001 | 21 | 3,842 | ▼ 623 |
| 2000 | 26 | 3,219 | ▲ 485 |
| 1999 | 20 | 3,704 | ▼ 993 |
| 1998 | 30 | 2,711 | ▲ 1,027 |
| 1997 | 18 | 3,738 | ▼ 445 |
| 1996 | 21 | 3,293 | ▲ 400 |
| 1995 | 17 | 3,693 | ▲ 1,416 |
| 1994 | 11 | 5,109 | ▲ 1,707 |
| 1993 | 7 | 6,816 | ▼ 1,156 |
| 1992 | 9 | 5,660 | ▲ 859 |
| 1991 | 7 | 6,519 | new |
Quest by state
Quest ranks #971 in Virginia (2025).
Rank by state 5 states
| State | Rank | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 971 | 6 |
| North Carolina | 1,028 | 7 |
| Georgia | 1,350 | 5 |
| California | 1,829 | 8 |
| Texas | 2,574 | 5 |
Notable people named Quest
- Quest For Fame was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1990 Epsom Derby and later major races in the United States.