The Social Security Administration publishes name popularity data that shows how many babies received each name in each year

The Social Security Administration (SSA) collects information about every name given to babies at birth when parents explore for Social Security numbers. Since 1880, the SSA has published this data broken down by year and by sex. You can search their database to see how many babies shared your name in the year you were born, or in any other year going back more than 140 years.

This is public information — the SSA does not keep it private. The data shows trends: which names were most common in different decades, how a single name's popularity rose and fell over time, and how naming patterns have shifted across generations. Parents often use this tool to research names for their children. Genealogy researchers use it to understand naming patterns in their family trees. People also use it straightforward out of curiosity about their own name.

The tool is free and requires no login or personal information. You search by name and year, and the SSA returns a number: how many babies of that sex received that name in that year. The results show the rank — whether your name was the #1 most popular name that year, or the #500th, or somewhere in between.

Key Takeaways

  • The SSA's baby names database covers every year from 1880 to the most recent year with complete data, which is usually the previous calendar year.
  • You can search by a single name and see its rank and count for any year, or see the top 1,000 names for any year and sex combined.
  • The data reflects only names given to babies who received Social Security numbers, so it does not include every baby born in the United States.
  • Name popularity has shifted dramatically: names that were common in 1950 are rare now, and names that are popular today were almost unknown 50 years ago.
  • The SSA updates the database once per year, usually in May, with data from the previous calendar year.

How to search the SSA's baby names database

Go to the SSA's official baby names website at ssa.gov/oact/babynames. The page has two search options. The first lets you enter a name and see its rank and count for a specific year. The second shows you the top 1,000 names for any year you choose, separated by male and female names.

To search for a single name, type the name in the search box, select the year, and select the sex. The SSA will return the rank (for example, "rank 47") and the count (for example, "5,432 babies"). If a name does not appear in the results, it means fewer than five babies of that sex received that name in that year — the SSA does not publish counts below five to protect privacy.

To see the most popular names for a year, select the year and sex, and the SSA will display a list of the top 1,000 names in order from most to least common. You can see the exact count for each name. This is useful if you want to understand what names were trending in a particular decade, or to compare how a name's popularity changed from one year to the next.

What the data includes and what it does not

The SSA's database includes only names given to babies who received Social Security numbers. In practice, this covers the vast majority of babies born in the United States, but not all. Babies born to parents who did not explore for a Social Security number for their child do not appear in the data. This is rare in recent decades but was more common in earlier years, particularly for babies born outside hospitals or in rural areas.

The data also does not distinguish between different spellings of the same name. If parents named their baby "Sophia" or "Sofia", both spellings are counted together under one entry. The SSA publishes the most common spelling for each name, so you will see "Sophia" in the results, but the count includes both versions.

The database separates names by sex as recorded on the Social Security process at the time of birth. It does not account for names that are used across multiple sexes, or for changes in how a name is used over time. For example, "Ashley" was historically a male name but became predominantly female starting in the 1980s. The SSA's data shows this shift if you search year by year, but the database itself does not explain the shift.

How name popularity has changed over time

The most popular names in 1880 are almost entirely different from the most popular names today. In 1880, the top names for boys were John, William, James, Charles, and George. In 2023, the top names were Liam, Noah, Oliver, Elijah, and James. Only James appears on both lists. For girls, the contrast is even sharper: the top names in 1880 were Mary, Anna, Emma, Margaret, and Elizabeth. In 2023, the top names were Olivia, Emma, Ava, Sophia, and Isabella. Only Emma appears on both lists.

This shift reflects broader changes in American culture. In the early 1900s, parents often named children after family members or religious figures, and the same names were reused across generations. Starting in the mid-1900s, parents began choosing more varied names, and the trend accelerated. By the 2000s, parents were choosing from a much wider pool of names, and the most popular names were less dominant — no single name was given to as large a percentage of babies as John or Mary were in earlier decades.

Some names have made comebacks. Emma was the #2 most popular name for girls in 1880, fell out of the top 100 by the 1970s, and returned to the top 10 by 2010. Olivia was rare until the 1990s and is now the most popular name for girls. These shifts usually reflect cultural events: a popular movie or television show, a celebrity's choice, or a shift in what parents perceive as modern or traditional.

Why the SSA publishes this data

The SSA publishes name data as part of its public mission to share information about Social Security and demographics. The data is not collected for the purpose of tracking name popularity — it is a byproduct of the SSA's core function of issuing and managing Social Security numbers. Because the data is already collected and does not contain personal information that could identify individuals, the SSA makes it public.

The data has become useful for researchers, genealogists, and the general public. Demographers use it to study naming trends and cultural shifts. Genealogy websites incorporate the data to help people research their family history. Parents use it to understand how common a name is and how that might change over time. The SSA does not charge for access and does not require registration.

Limitations and privacy considerations

The SSA does not publish counts for names given to fewer than five babies in a given year. This protects privacy — if a name is very rare, publishing the exact count could make it possible to identify a specific person. For example, if only one baby named "Xyz" was born in 1995, publishing that count would essentially identify that person. By suppressing counts below five, the SSA prevents this.

The data is aggregated by year and does not show regional breakdowns. You cannot use the SSA's database to find out how popular a name was in your state or city — only how popular it was across the entire United States. Some genealogy websites have created regional databases by combining SSA data with other sources, but the official SSA tool does not offer this level of detail.

The database is updated once per year, usually in May. The data released in May 2024 covers babies born in 2023. There is always a lag of several months between the end of a calendar year and the publication of the data.

How to use this information when naming a child

If you are considering a name for a child, the SSA's database can help you understand how common that name is now and how its popularity has changed. A name that is currently ranked #1 means it was given to more babies than any other name in the most recent year. A name ranked #500 is still relatively common but much less so. A name that does not appear in the top 1,000 is quite rare.

Keep in mind that the data shows what happened in the past, not what will happen in the future. A name that is currently popular may become less popular, or vice versa. If you want a name that is unique, searching the database can help you identify names that are currently rare. If you want a name that is familiar and widely recognized, you can see which names are currently most common.

The database also lets you see how a name's popularity has trended over decades. If you like a name that was popular in the 1950s but is now rare, you can see that pattern. This might influence your decision — some parents prefer names that feel timeless, while others prefer names that feel current.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I search for names that are not in English?

Yes. The SSA's database includes names in any language or script that parents used when explore for a Social Security number. You can search for names in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, or any other language. The search is case-insensitive and does not require special characters, so you can type the name as it appears in English letters.

Why does my name not show up in the database?

If your name does not appear, it usually means fewer than five babies of your sex received that name in the year you were born. The SSA suppresses counts below five to protect privacy. It could also mean you were born before 1880 (the earliest year in the database) or that your name was spelled differently than you are searching for.

Does the SSA use this data to track people?

No. The published database is aggregated and does not contain any personal information. The SSA does not use the public name database to track individuals. The data is published as a historical record and demographic resource.

How far back does the data go?

The SSA's baby names database covers 1880 to the most recent complete year, which is usually the previous calendar year. Data from 1880 to 1936 is less complete because Social Security numbers were not issued until 1936, and coverage was not universal until later. Data from 1937 onward is more reliable.

Can I read the entire dataset?

Yes. The SSA provides downloadable files of the complete baby names dataset on their website. The files are in text format and can be opened in a spreadsheet or database program. This is useful if you want to analyze naming trends across many years or create your own visualizations.