Home › Baby Names Directory › Commodore

Commodore

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Commodore

Pronounced KOM-uh-dor /ˈkɒm.ə.dɔːr/Medium

Meaning: Commodore is a naval rank meaning a senior captain who commands a squadron, from the French commandeur and ultimately Latin commandare, 'to command.' Used as a given name, it is an aspirational title-name honoring rank and leadership.Low

In 30 seconds: Commodore is a naval rank and title used as an aspirational boy's name. It dates to the late eighteen-hundreds in the United States (said KOM-uh-dor).

💕 Browse more names

Origin LowEnglish, French

MeaningCommodore is a naval rank meaning a senior captain who commands a squadron, from the French commandeur and ultimately Latin commandare, 'to command.' Used as a given name, it is an aspirational title-name honoring rank and leadership.

U.S. rank (1964)#4151 ↘ Falling

1964 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1923

Total births (all-time)≈ 368

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Commodore is a naval rank, a senior captain over a squadron, from French commandeur and Latin commandare, 'to command.' Americans took to bestowing titles of rank and honor as first names in the nineteenth century, and Commodore rode the fame of Cornelius 'Commodore' Vanderbilt. It appears in United States birth records from the eighteen-eighties into the mid twentieth century.

It was never common, given to only a couple dozen boys a year at its high in the early nineteen-twenties, so a Commodore from that peak was born about a century ago. It reads as a bold, aspirational title-name of the vintage era.

Did you know? Commodore as a name owes much to Cornelius Vanderbilt, the shipping and railroad magnate nicknamed 'the Commodore,' whose fame helped turn the title into a first name.

Overall data confidence 50%

References - Commodore — Naval rank/title as given name; namesake Cornelius 'Commodore' Vanderbilt

Variations

CommadoreComodore

Nicknames

DoreCole

Famous Bearers

★Cornelius "Commodore" Vanderbilt (1794-1877)
the American shipping and railroad magnate nicknamed 'the Commodore,' whose fame helped popularize the title as a given name

If you like Commodore…

Major— a like military rank used as a name

Admiral— another naval title turned name

Judge— a similar aspirational title-name

King— a like honorific used as a boy's name

Explore names like Commodore

By themerare vintage aspirational title-name

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Commodore mean?

It is a naval rank and title, a senior captain, used as an aspirational given name.

How do you pronounce Commodore?

It's said KOM-uh-dor /ˈkɒm.ə.dɔːr/ - three syllables, stress on the first.

Is Commodore a boy or girl name?

Commodore is used as a boy's name.

How popular is Commodore?

It has always been rare, given to only a couple dozen boys a year at its peak in the early nineteen-twenties.