How to say it
AT · ti · cus
/ˈæt.ɪ.kəs/
Masculine
Atticus
From Attica
What it means
Latin for 'of Attica,' the region around Athens. Borne in antiquity by Cicero's close friend Atticus.
Atticus means 'man of Attica,' the Greek region that holds Athens, and came down as a Roman cognomen, most famously on Titus Pomponius Atticus, Cicero's friend and correspondent. Its modern rise is almost entirely literary: Atticus Finch, the principled small-town lawyer of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, gave the name a reputation for quiet decency. It reads bookish and upright, sitting comfortably with Atlas, Silas, and August.
Popularity over time
peaked at #264 in 2021, currently #281 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Pop culture
Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird is the dominant association and the source of nearly all modern use.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Atticus Finch the upright lawyer-father in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird
- Titus Pomponius Atticus Roman writer and Cicero's lifelong friend
Spelling variants
- Aticus