The Social Security Administration publishes name popularity data for every year since 1880

The Social Security Administration (SSA) releases a public dataset showing the most popular baby names each year, broken down by sex assigned at birth. This data comes from Social Security card applications and covers names given to babies born in the United States. You can search this dataset to see how common your name was in the year you were born, how its popularity has changed over time, and how it ranks against other names.

The SSA's name popularity tool is free and requires no login. You can look up any name and see its rank, the number of babies given that name, and how those numbers changed year by year. The data goes back to 1880 for names given to at least five babies in a single year — names with fewer than five occurrences are not published for privacy reasons.

Key Takeaways

  • The SSA publishes baby name popularity data from 1880 to the most recent year, updated annually.
  • You can search by name and see its rank, how many babies received it, and trends across decades.
  • The data is separated by sex assigned at birth, so the same name may have different popularity rankings for each category.
  • Names given to fewer than five babies in a year do not appear in the public dataset.
  • The tool is accessible through the SSA website at ssa.gov/oact/babynames without creating an account.

How to search the SSA baby names database

Go to ssa.gov/oact/babynames and you will see a search box. Type in a first name and select the year or year range you want to explore. You can search a single year or ask the tool to show you trends across multiple decades. The results display the name's rank (1 being most popular), how many babies received that name, and a graph showing how the name's popularity has moved over time.

If you search for a name that was given to fewer than five babies in a particular year, the SSA will not show data for that year. This privacy rule means very uncommon names may have gaps in their records. The tool also lets you reverse-search: you can pick a year and see which names ranked in the top 100, top 1,000, or all names recorded that year.

What the popularity rankings actually measure

The SSA name data reflects babies for whom a Social Security card was applied for, not every baby born in the United States. Coverage is very high — most babies receive a Social Security number within the first year of life — but it is not 100 percent. The data also counts only the first name listed on the Social Security application, so middle names do not appear.

Rankings are separate for each sex category. A name like "Jordan" or "Casey" may rank very differently for babies assigned male at birth versus female at birth in the same year. The SSA publishes data for both categories independently, so you need to specify which one you are looking at when comparing across years.

Understanding name trends and what changed them

Name popularity shifts for many reasons: cultural events, celebrity births, immigration patterns, and shifts in what parents find appealing. For example, the name "Emma" rose sharply in popularity starting in the 1990s and held the top rank for many years. Names tied to specific decades — like "Jennifer" in the 1970s or "Michael" for much of the late 20th century — often reflect broader social patterns.

You can use the SSA tool to spot these shifts. If you search a name and see its rank drop sharply in a particular decade, that often corresponds to a real cultural change. Comparing your name's popularity to your actual age group can also show you whether your name was common when you were born or whether you ended up with a name that became popular later.

Downloading the full dataset for research

The SSA also publishes the complete name dataset as downloadable files, useful if you want to analyze trends across many names or years. These files are available on the same page as the search tool and come in formats that can be opened in spreadsheet software. The files list every name, its rank, and the count for each year from 1880 onward.

Researchers, journalists, and people interested in data analysis often use these files to study naming patterns, immigration history, or cultural shifts. The data is in the public domain, so you can download it, share it, and use it for any purpose without restriction.

Limitations and what the data does not show

The SSA dataset does not include names given to babies born outside the United States, even if they later moved to the U.S. and obtained a Social Security number as an adult. It also does not capture name changes after the initial Social Security application, so if someone changed their name later in life, the original name is what appears in the historical record.

The data is also limited to first names as they appear on Social Security applications. Nicknames, alternate spellings, and names that became common only after the Social Security card was issued may not be fully represented. Additionally, the SSA updates this dataset once per year, usually in May, so the most recent year's data lags by several months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I find out how many people with my exact name are alive right now?

No. The SSA data shows how many babies were given a name in each year, but not how many of those people are still living. You would need to know birth and death rates to estimate that, and the SSA does not publish that calculation. The raw count tells you how common the name was at birth, not how common it is today.

Why does my name not show up for the year I was born?

If your name was given to fewer than five babies in that year, the SSA does not publish it for privacy reasons. This is common for very uncommon or newly invented names. You may see the name appear in other years but not yours, which means it crossed the five-baby threshold in some years but not others.

Does the SSA data include names from all ethnic and cultural backgrounds?

The data includes any name on a Social Security application, regardless of origin or cultural background. However, the dataset reflects which names were most common among people who obtained Social Security numbers in the United States, which has changed over time as immigration patterns shifted. Names common in specific communities may not rank highly in the national dataset.

Can I use this data to find people with my name?

No. The SSA publishes only aggregate counts and rankings, not individual names or identifying information. You cannot use this tool to locate specific people or build a list of individuals who share your name.

How often is the baby names data updated?

The SSA updates the baby names dataset once per year, typically in May. The most recent year included is usually the previous calendar year, so data lags by several months. Historical data does not change once published.