Total births
1,394
Boys' name · since 1880
Adolf
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 1,394 babies named Adolf, peaking in 1918. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- 1,394
- total births
- 1880–1990
- years on record
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 28%
- born in that decade
Adolf sits outside today's top ranks for boys, with 1,394 recorded since 1880.
Adolf has 1,394 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 1990.
- 1,394 total births
- 1880–1990 years on record
- 1920s peak decade
- 28% born in that decade
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
1,394 boys have been named Adolf since 1880, peaking in the 1920s, last recorded in 1990.
- 1,394
- total births
- 1880–1990
- years on record
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 28%
- born in that decade
1920s
Peak decade
28% of everyone ever named Adolf was born in this single decade.
1918
Single peak year
56 babies were named Adolf in 1918 - its busiest year on record.
Adolf's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Adolf's full recorded timeline at 1933, 31% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 69% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1882, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1918 peak of 56 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Adolf at a glance
Last recorded 1990Peak year
1918
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1880
Adolf popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–1990
- Peak year (1918)
- 56
- Annual births at peak, across 111 years of records
Adolf by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Adolf's strongest decade.
393 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 28% of all-time use.
Adolf births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 30
1880s
30 births
- 1890s 38
1890s
38 births
- 1900s 63
1900s
63 births
- 1910s
1910s
358 births
- 1920s
1920s
393 births
- 1930s
1930s
208 births
- 1940s 75
1940s
75 births
- 1950s 82
1950s
82 births
- 1960s 87
1960s
87 births
- 1970s 43
1970s
43 births
- 1980s 12
1980s
12 births
- 1990s 5
1990s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 393 births (28% of all-time use).
How Adolf compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Adolf's total volume
Adolf vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Adolf by state
Where Adolf concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 168 | 12.1% |
| #2 | Texas | | 69 | 4.9% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 20 | 1.4% |
| #4 | New Jersey | | 18 | 1.3% |
| #5 | Massachusetts | | 17 | 1.2% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 8 | 0.6% |
| #7 | Connecticut | | 6 | 0.4% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 6 | 0.4% |
New York share of Adolf's total US births 12.1%
Even split
168 of 1,394 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 9 reporting states.
Adolf appears in 9 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Adolf? ▼
Adolf has been given to 1,394 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 1990. 56 babies were born in 1918, its single highest year.
When was Adolf most popular? ▼
Adolf was most popular in the 1920s decade with 393 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Adolf most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Adolf are New York (168 births), Texas (69 births), Illinois (20 births).
How long has the name Adolf been used? ▼
Adolf has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 111 years of data through 1990.
What names are similar to Adolf? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Adonis, Adolph, Adolfo, Adolphus, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Adolf's data
- Adolf's decade-level peak was the 1920s (393 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 1990s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Adolfs (168 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Adolf
Nearby Names Like Adolf
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Adolf
Adonis Boy
#207 21,593 births
Adolph Boy
18,745 births
Adolfo Boy
#1642 16,195 births
Adolphus Boy
4,109 births
Adonai Boy
#1699 1,223 births
Compare Adolf side by side: Adolf vs Adonis Adolf vs Adolph Adolf vs Adolfo
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–1990 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Adolf: Baby Name Since 1880 - 1,394 Births, Peak 1918." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/adolf. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Adolf draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.