Boys' name · since 1880

Al

Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 17,079 babies named Al, peaking in 1959. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#903 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#6,810 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
17,079
born since 1880
1950s
peak decade

Al currently ranks #6810 among boys' names in America, with 17,079 babies recorded since 1880.

Social Security Administration records show Al recorded 17,079 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #6810 nationally today, ahead of 51% of boys, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.

  • #903 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #6,810 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 17,079 born since 1880
  • 1950s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Al ranks #903 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #6,810 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 17,079 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.

#903 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#6,810 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
17,079
born since 1880
1950s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%51.1%
Al vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Al's 17,079 recorded births place it above 98.01% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

36 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

36 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.

How Al compares

17,079 Top 7% higher than 93% of 13,930 names currently given to boys

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.

Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data

How the numbers stack up

Al's all-time total is 46x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Al Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 17,079 369 358,536
Peak-year births 440 34 22,252

Al's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Al's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 50% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 50%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 2024, with only 8 births recorded -- set against the 1959 peak of 440, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Al popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1959)
440
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
0100200300400500 188018991918193719561975199420132025 12

Al popularity over time - girls

255 total births recorded since 1914 (Al as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 255 births
4681012 191419211928193619431954197019751980 8

Al by decade

1950s is the heaviest window (3,219 births, 19% of the file).

1950s was Al's strongest decade.

3,219 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 19% of all-time use.

Al births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1950s at 3,219 births (19% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Al 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 Al's total volume

Al vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -146, 2.2%-72, 5.5%-87, 4%-44, 4.6%-118, 4.6%-111, 2.2%-62, 3.1%-132, 2%-69, 3.4%-146, 2.7%-97, 3.4%-146, 3.1%-146, 1.8%-99, 7%-146, 1.5%Al-146, 2.6%Al
Al vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Al by state

Where Al concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Al
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
1,681 9.8%
#2 California
1,509 8.8%
#3 Texas
988 5.8%
#4 Illinois
893 5.2%
#5 Louisiana
622 3.6%
#6 Michigan
573 3.4%
#7 Georgia
556 3.3%
#8 North Carolina
519 3.0%
New York share of Al's total US births 9.8%
Even split

1,681 of 17,079 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 36 reporting states.

Al appears in 36 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Al? ▼
17,079 babies have been named Al since 1880. All-time, it sits at #903 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #6,810 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 1959 with 440 births.
Where does Al sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Al ranks #903 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #6,810 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Al most popular? ▼
Al was most popular in the 1950s decade with 3,219 total births. The single peak year was 1959.
Where is Al most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Al are New York (1,681 births), California (1,509 births), Texas (988 births).
How long has the name Al been used? ▼
Al has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Al? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Alexander, Albert, Alan, Alex, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Al's data

  • Al's decade-level peak was the 1950s (3,219 total births); usage has since declined to 78 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • New York records the most Als (1,681 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 Al

Nearby Names Like Al

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Al

Alexander Boy
#30 736,123 births
Albert Boy
#614 491,861 births
Alan Boy
#191 363,313 births
Alex Boy
#232 286,169 births
Allen Boy
#578 271,796 births

Compare Al side by side: Al vs Alexander Al vs Albert Al vs Alan

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Al

Webster #6809
4,459 births · Peak 1915
Evert #6811
3,316 births · Peak 1923
Howell #6808
3,923 births · Peak 1920
Garland #6812
23,857 births · Peak 1922
Sandy #6807
10,458 births · Peak 1954
Haywood #6813
6,541 births · Peak 1919
Giles #6806
4,732 births · Peak 1918
Newt #6814
852 births · Peak 1914

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Al: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1880–2025 (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 Al 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.