Frequently Asked Questions
How many names does NameAlmanac track?
NameAlmanac tracks over 116,000 unique name spellings recorded in the United States from 1880 through 2024, spanning 144 years of Social Security Administration birth records.
Where does NameAlmanac get its data?
All data comes from the Social Security Administration's public baby name dataset, which is derived from Social Security card applications. It is the most comprehensive public record of given names in the United States, updated annually.
Why doesn't a name I'm searching for appear in the results?
The SSA excludes names with fewer than 5 occurrences in any given year to protect individual privacy. If a name is very rare, it may not appear in search results. Additionally, names not registered with the SSA (e.g., non-citizens who never applied) are not in the dataset.
How current is the data?
Our data runs through 2024. The SSA publishes new data annually, typically in the spring. We update NameAlmanac within a few weeks of each new SSA release.
How does NameAlmanac calculate name popularity rankings?
Rankings are based on total births per year for each gender. Rank 1 is the most-given name for that gender that year. Ties are broken alphabetically. We also show percentage-of-births charts, which normalize for population growth and let you compare true popularity across different eras.
Can I see how a name trended over time?
Yes. Each name's page shows a trend chart from 1880 to 2024 displaying either total births or percentage of all births per year. You can see exactly when a name peaked, declined, or made a comeback.
Does NameAlmanac cover names outside the United States?
No. NameAlmanac is based exclusively on SSA data, which covers the United States only. We don't have data on naming trends in other countries.