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.
- #4,163 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 1,394
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak 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.
- #4,163 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 1,394 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Adolf ranks #4,163 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 1,394 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #4,163 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 1,394
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Adolf's 1,394 recorded births place it above 90.84% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
9 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
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 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
No longer in the modern top-1000, last recorded 1990.
1,394 total births across 111 years of SSA records. Peaked in 1918 with 56 births in a single year.
Adolf by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (393 births, 28% of the file).
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).
Adolf decade highlights
- Peak decade 393 births
- Runner-up 358 births
- Modern era share 2010s + 2020s
- Decades tracked with recorded births
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 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% |
168 of 1,394 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 9 reporting states.
Top 5 states
- New York 12.1% of nationwide
- Texas 4.9% of nationwide
- Illinois 1.4% of nationwide
- New Jersey 1.3% of nationwide
- Massachusetts 1.2% of nationwide
Recorded in 9 of 51 SSA jurisdictions
New York accounts for 12.1% of all recorded births nationwide - a relatively diffuse profile for this name.
Adolf appears in 9 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Adolf? ▼
Where does Adolf sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Adolf most popular? ▼
Where is Adolf most popular? ▼
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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
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
Compare Adolf side by side: Adolf vs Adonis Adolf vs Adolph Adolf vs Adolfo
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Adolf: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1918)
Similar record span (~110 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 August 2026.
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