The name Drake has experienced a significant decline in popularity, dropping 168 spots in the Social Security Administration's 2025 baby name rankings to land at No. 827. This makes it the 16th fastest-declining baby name in the United States.
Timing and Celebrity Feud
The timing of the drop coincides with the intensification of Drake's feud with Kendrick Lamar, which reached a peak in February 2025 when Lamar performed his Grammy-winning diss track "Not Like Us" during the Super Bowl halftime show. Sophie Kihm, editor-in-chief of Nameberry, noted, "Drake fell pretty sharply between 2024 and 2025, likely in part thanks to Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show and the associated allegations. Parents want to avoid any unsavory associations."
Previous Popularity
Despite the recent decline, the name saw a slight bump from No. 681 in 2023 to No. 659 in 2024, with minor increases in 2020 and 2018. Baby name consultant Jenn Ficarra commented, "I do think the anti-Drake Super Bowl did have an impact on the decline. A name like Drake checks a lot of boxes for boy names, but the one thing stopping parents is an identifiable public figure with a less than favorable perception."
Longer Trend
However, the decline is not solely due to the Super Bowl moment. Baby name consultant Taylor Humphrey pointed out, "Drake's decline actually began in 2011, long before the Kendrick Lamar feud. While the recent backlash didn't help, it's not the primary driver." The name peaked in 2010, coinciding with Drake's rise in hip-hop. Humphrey added, "As a baby name consultant, this bums me out. It doesn't get any cooler than a name that means dragon! But even with 'Game of Thrones' premiering in 2011, the dragon motif never anchored Drake into American naming culture."
Other Names
Drake's legal name, Aubrey Drake Graham, has its own trajectory. Aubrey dropped off the Top 1,000 for boys after 2002 and has shifted to the girls' list, falling 14 spots to No. 146 in 2025. In Canada, only eight baby boys were named Drake in both 2023 and 2024, ranking at No. 2,216 and No. 2,328. In the U.S., 299 baby boys were named Drake in 2025, down from 416 in 2024 and 398 in 2023.
Humphrey noted a broader stylistic shift: "Like Vance, which dropped out of the Top 1,000, Drake is a one-syllable Anglo-Norse surname name losing ground to multi-syllable, vowel-heavy, multicultural names. Kendrick also fell, but not as sharply, suggesting a broader trend rather than a referendum on either artist." Kendrick decreased by 58 spots between 2024 and 2025.
Expert Insights
Abby Sandel, creator of the baby name blog Appellation Mountain, explained, "When naming children, we shy away from controversy. The names Drake and Kendrick both peaked in the 2010s when the musicians' careers launched and have decreased since." She added, "The more famous a celebrity becomes, the less likely parents are to borrow their name. Zendaya recently fell out of the Top 1,000, coinciding with her popularity." Names like Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Madonna have long been absent from the Top 1,000, while Taylor and Selena are also declining.
For now, Drake — both the rapper and the name — may be losing the culture war, though the artist has released three new albums. Whether the name stages a comeback remains to be seen.
