The first name Urban
A boy’s name from Latin meaning “of the town”, “city”, “urbane”.
Pronounced /ˈɜɹbən/ 2 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Latin origin
Urban means “of the town”, “city”, “urbane” in Latin.
Latin Urbānus, name of eight early popes, from urbānus (“of the town or city, urbane”). Doublet of Orban.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
Urban last appeared in the official list in 2006, given to 3 boys.
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Urban with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Urban at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 18 boys born in the United States were named Urban, the 5,374th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1924, when 104 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Urban in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Urban in Czech, German, Polish, Romanian, Slovak and Swedish too.
Famous people named Urban
8 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Urban II11th century pope and initiator of the Crusades, 1035–1099
- Urban VIII235 pope of the Catholic Church from 1623 to 1644 (1568–1644)
- Urban GadDanish filmmaker (1879-1947)
- Urban HettichGerman Nordic combined skier, born 1953
- Urban MeyerAmerican football coach, born 1964
- Urban of LangresGallo-Roman saint and bishop, patron saint of wine growers, gardeners and coopers, 327–375
- Fuzzy ZoellerAmerican professional golfer, 1951–2025
- Aku LouhimiesFinnish film director and screenwriter (born 1968)
More Latin boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Urban mean?
- Urban means “of the town”, “city”, “urbane” in Latin.
- What is the origin of the name Urban?
- Latin Urbānus, name of eight early popes, from urbānus (“of the town or city, urbane”). Doublet of Orban.
- How popular is the name Urban?
- In 2006, 3 boys born in England and Wales were named Urban, ranking 4,052nd.
- Is Urban a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 3,264 US babies named Urban since 1880 were boys.
- When was Urban most popular?
- 1924 in the United States, when 104 babies were named Urban, its highest rank at 633rd.
- How do you pronounce Urban?
- Urban is /ˈɜɹbən/, 2 syllables.
- Is Urban also a surname?
- Yes. Urban is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.