Ignatius is a distinctive choice, ranked #2952 in 2025. Your child is likely to be the only Ignatius in their class.
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UK Rank 2025
#2952
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About the Name Ignatius
Ignatius has seen a notable decline in recent years, dropping 264 places in five years. It was most popular in 2020 at #1825 — parents choosing it today are making a deliberately counter-trend decision. The name has been a regular feature in UK records since 1997.
Ignatius is rare in the UK, so your child is very likely to be the only Ignatius in their class.
⭐ Famous People Named Ignatius
Ignatius Aphrem II — Mor Ignatius Aphrem II is a Syrian–American Christian prelate who has served as the Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church since 29 May 2014.
Ignatius Zakka I — Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas (Syriac: ܐܝܓܢܐܛܝܘܣ ܙܟܝ ܩܕܡܝܐ ܥܝܘܐܨ; Arabic: إغناطيوس زكا الأول عيواص; Ignatios Zakkà ‘Īwāṣ, born Sanharib Iwas, 21 April 1931 – 21 March 2014) was the 122nd reigning Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and, as such,…
Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Ignatius
Unlikely. With around 7 UK babies named Ignatius per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Ignatius in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Ignatius is declining: down 1,127 places since 2020, to #2,952 in 2025. It peaked at #1,825 in 2020.
Ignatius is a distinctive choice sitting outside the mainstream UK top names. Parents choosing less common names often find their children appreciate the individuality as they grow up, rarely needing to add an initial to distinguish themselves.
Notable people named Ignatius include: Ignatius Aphrem II and Ignatius Makumbe. Short summaries for each appear below.
Ignatius does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice — your child is unlikely to encounter American Ignatiuss in the wild.
7
UK babies named Ignatius (2025)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↓ 1127 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Ignatius
Almost certainly the only Ignatius in the class
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UK Popularity (1997–2025)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
No US data available for this name
✨ Similar names to Ignatius
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas (Syriac: ܐܝܓܢܐܛܝܘܣ ܙܟܝ ܩܕܡܝܐ ܥܝܘܐܨ; Arabic: إغناطيوس زكا الأول عيواص; Ignatios Zakkà ‘Īwāṣ, born Sanharib Iwas, 21 April 1931 – 21 March 2014) was the 122nd reigning Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and, as such, Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church.
Ignatius Kutu Acheampong was a Ghanaian military officer and politician who was the military head of state of Ghana from 13 January 1972 to 5 July 1978, when he was deposed in a palace coup.
Ignatius Basile Moses I Daoud (or Moussa Daoud) (Syriac: ܐܝܓܢܐܛܝܘܣ ܡܘܫܐ ܩܕܡܝܐ ܕܐܘܕ) was Patriarch of Antioch for the Syrian Catholic Church, a cardinal-bishop (because he was an Eastern patriarch elevated to the cardinalate), and Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches in the Catholic Church.
Ignatius of Antioch (; Ancient Greek: Ἰγνάτιος Ἀντιοχείας, romanized: Ignátios Antiokheías; died c. 108/140), also known as Ignatius Theophorus (Ἰγνάτιος ὁ Θεοφόρος, Ignátios ho Theophóros, 'the God-bearing'), was an early Christian writer and the Patriarch of Antioch.
Ignatius Christianus Fridericus Fortuna was a court servant prominent in the court of Countess Palatine Francisca Christina of Sulzbach, an abbess at Essen Abbey in Essen, Germany.