Baby Name Popularity by Year
Search a name to see its full 1880–2024 popularity chart: the peak year, the decade that produced the most bearers, and whether the name is rising, steady, or declining right now.
Free · No sign-up · Your search is never stored. Estimates from SSA birth records (1880–2024) and U.S. Census surname data.
What the chart is really showing
Every point on the chart is a count of babies given that name in that year, from Social Security Administration records. Names move in waves: a name can dominate for a generation (Jennifer in the 1970s), vanish, and then return eighty years later when it feels vintage instead of dated (Clara, Ezra, Theodore). The peak year and decade figures in the result tell you which wave your name belongs to.
How to read a name's trend
- Rising — births in the last decade are at least 10% above the previous one. The name is gaining ground now.
- Steady — the last two decades are within about 10% of each other. A classic that neither booms nor fades.
- Declining — recent births have fallen at least 10%. The name's living bearers skew older, which the age-group breakdown in the result confirms.
Pop culture leaves fingerprints
The SSA data shows sharp, short spikes after cultural moments — Arya and Khaleesi after Game of Thrones, Katniss after The Hunger Games. Those spikes usually fade within a few years. A slow, broad climb is a different signal: it means thousands of parents independently reached the same choice, which tends to last. If you are choosing a baby name, the rarity checker shows how many living bearers the name already has.