What Does the Name Trace Mean?

Trace is a boy's name of English (from Tracy) origin meaning “short form of Tracy / Thracius; sometimes 'path, track'.”

Updated June 2026

Name	Trace
Gender	male
Origin	English (from Tracy)
Meaning	short form of Tracy / Thracius; sometimes 'path, track'
Variants	Tracy, Tracey, Trayce
Popularity	A modern given name used chiefly in the United States, popularized in part by country singer Trace Adkins.

The meaning and origin of Trace

The name Trace means “short form of Tracy / Thracius; sometimes 'path, track'” and has English (from Tracy) origins. Originally a short form of the name Tracy (an Anglo-Norman locational surname from a place in Normandy), now used independently as a boys' given name. It is sometimes associated with the English word 'trace'.

Variants and related names

Trace is related to several other names you may recognize: Tracy, Tracey, Trayce. These share a common root or are spelling and language variants of the same name.

How popular is the name Trace?

A modern given name used chiefly in the United States, popularized in part by country singer Trace Adkins.

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