She was named after the city due to the recent Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, and her hull number 812 is a historical reference to the War of 1812.

The Bombardment of Baltimore by the Royal Navy in this conflict inspired Key to compose the "Star Spangled Banner," the national anthem of the United States.

[1] Baltimore and sister ship SSN-813 were ordered during the 2024 Fiscal Year budget at a combined cost of $9.4 billion.

[1] Compared to Blocks I-IV of Virginia-class submarines, Block V vessels will incorporate previously introduced modifications to the base design in addition to a Virginia Payload Module (VPM).

The VPM inserts a segment into the boat's hull which adds four vertical launch tubes.