A hundred years ago, a large share of American babies were given one of a handful of names. Today, parents pick from a far wider pool. We calculated this ourselves from the US Social Security Administration's national baby name files, so you can see exactly how much names have spread out, and what it means for choosing one.
The headline numbers: in 1925 the ten most common girls' names covered 23.0% of recorded girls. In 2025 they covered 7.0%. For boys it fell from 32.9% to 8.0%.
How we calculated this
- Data: the SSA's national baby name files, one file per birth year, downloaded on 8 November 2026.
- Share of the top 10: the number of recorded births with the ten most common names for that sex, divided by all recorded births of that sex that year. We did the same for the top 100.
- Unique names: the number of distinct names in the file for that sex and year.
- Caveats: the SSA counts people who have a Social Security number and omits names with fewer than five occurrences. Because early years only include people who later got a number, older figures are less complete, and the "unique names" counts depend on how many births are recorded. The share figures are more reliable than raw counts.
Girls: share of births by name popularity
| Year | Top 10 names' share | Top 100 names' share | Distinct names | #1 name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | 23.0% | 64.9% | 5,771 | Mary |
| 1950 | 24.1% | 67.9% | 6,109 | Linda |
| 1975 | 17.4% | 53.7% | 10,618 | Jennifer |
| 2000 | 10.2% | 42.0% | 17,660 | Emily |
| 2010 | 8.9% | 34.3% | 19,841 | Isabella |
| 2020 | 7.9% | 32.5% | 17,527 | Olivia |
| 2025 | 7.0% | 31.5% | 17,297 | Olivia |
Boys: share of births by name popularity
| Year | Top 10 names' share | Top 100 names' share | Distinct names | #1 name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | 32.9% | 72.8% | 4,867 | Robert |
| 1950 | 33.8% | 77.6% | 4,196 | James |
| 1975 | 25.7% | 69.3% | 6,337 | Michael |
| 2000 | 13.4% | 55.4% | 12,119 | Jacob |
| 2010 | 9.0% | 46.9% | 14,270 | Jacob |
| 2020 | 7.9% | 39.7% | 14,060 | Liam |
| 2025 | 8.0% | 38.0% | 13,930 | Liam |
What the numbers show
The biggest change was between 1975 and 2010. In 1950, about a third of boys and a quarter of girls had a top-10 name. By 2010 that was under a tenth for both. Since about 2015 the share has barely moved: girls' top-10 share has drifted from 8.4% (2015) to 7.0% (2025), and boys' from 8.3% to 8.0%.
Boys' names are still more concentrated than girls'. In every year in the table, a larger share of boys than girls had a top-100 name, and a larger share had a top-10 name in every year except 2020, when the two were equal at 7.9%. In 2025 the top 100 boys' names covered 38.0% of boys, against 31.5% of girls for the top 100 girls' names. Girls also had more distinct names (17,297 against 13,930).
The top has stopped changing as fast as the middle. The #1 name for boys went from Robert to James to Michael to Jacob in a century of changes, but today the top ten is a stable group: in 2025 Liam and Noah were first and second for boys, the same as in 2024.
There are over 30,000 name entries in a single year. The 2025 file has 17,297 girls' names and 13,930 boys' names (a name used for both sexes is counted once for each). That counts only names given at least five times.
What this means if you're choosing a name
- "Unique" is relative. Together, the ten most common names for each sex cover only 7 to 8 in 100 children, far fewer than in 1950. If you want a name that few other children have, the odds are better than they once were, but check the actual numbers rather than guessing. Our name directory and the SSA's data both show popularity.
- Surname and spelling matter more than you'd think. With so many distinct names, spelling variants split counts. Names that sound the same can sit far apart in the rankings.
- Popularity is not quality. A popular name is popular for reasons, and an uncommon one may be uncommon for reasons. Use it as one filter among several. Our guide to narrowing down a long list shows how.
To see which names you and your partner both like, and filter by popularity, try Namely: you each swipe on your own phone and see only the mutual matches. Download it from the App Store or Google Play. Or browse the gender-neutral names in our directory.
Quick answers
How many baby names are there in the US? In the SSA's 2025 file, 17,297 distinct girls' names and 13,930 boys' names, counting only names given at least five times in the year.
What share of babies have a top-10 name? In 2025: 7.0% of girls and 8.0% of boys, using the SSA's recorded births.
Are baby names getting more unique? Compared with 1950, yes: the share of babies with a top-10 name fell by roughly 70% for girls and 75% for boys. Since around 2015 it has barely changed.
Data: US Social Security Administration, national baby name files for the years shown, downloaded 8 November 2026. All shares and counts calculated by Namely. The SSA's data covers people with a Social Security number and omits names with fewer than five occurrences.