Total births
3,980
Boys' name · since 1942
Alain
3,980 babies named Alain in U.S. Social Security records since 1942, with the highest year being 1988. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #3234
- among boys today
- 3,980
- born since 1942
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 77%
- more common than other boys
Alain currently ranks #3234 among boys' names in America, with 3,980 babies recorded since 1942.
Social Security Administration records show Alain recorded 3,980 times among boys since 1942, holding rank #3234 nationally today, ahead of 77% of boys, peaking in the 1980s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1942 to 2025.
- #3234 among boys today
- 3,980 born since 1942
- 1980s peak decade
- 77% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Alain is currently the #3234 boys' name in America, more common than 77% of boys - 3,980 born since 1942, peaking in the 1980s.
- #3234
- among boys today
- 3,980
- born since 1942
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 77%
- more common than other boys
Alain vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#3234
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 77% of names given to boys today.
1980s
Peak decade
19% of everyone ever named Alain was born in this single decade.
1988
Single peak year
92 babies were named Alain in 1988 - its busiest year on record.
How Alain compares
3,980 Top 14% higher than 86% of 14,294 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
Alain's all-time total is 11x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Alain | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 3,980 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 92 | 23 | 22,252 |
Alain's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Alain's full recorded timeline at 1985, 66% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 34% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1942, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1988 peak of 92 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Alain at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1988
Current rank
#3,234
Active since
1942
Alain popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1942–2025
- Peak year (1988)
- 92
- Annual births at peak, across 84 years of records
Alain popularity over time - girls
6 total births recorded since 1976 (Alain as girls' name)
Alain by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Alain's strongest decade.
738 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 19% of all-time use.
Alain births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1940s 53
1940s
53 births
- 1950s 183
1950s
183 births
- 1960s
1960s
358 births
- 1970s
1970s
457 births
- 1980s
1980s
738 births
- 1990s
1990s
676 births
- 2000s
2000s
656 births
- 2010s
2010s
583 births
- 2020s 276
2020s
276 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 738 births (19% of all-time use).
How Alain 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 Alain's total volume
Alain vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Alain by state
Where Alain concentrates geographically, total births since 1942
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Florida | | 789 | 19.8% |
| #2 | California | | 608 | 15.3% |
| #3 | New York | | 579 | 14.5% |
| #4 | Texas | | 288 | 7.2% |
| #5 | New Jersey | | 46 | 1.2% |
| #6 | Arizona | | 10 | 0.3% |
| #7 | Massachusetts | | 10 | 0.3% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 5 | 0.1% |
Florida share of Alain's total US births 19.8%
Even split
789 of 3,980 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 9 reporting states.
Alain appears in 9 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Alain? ▼
3,980 babies have been named Alain since 1942. It currently ranks #3234 among boys. The peak year was 1988 with 92 births.
When was Alain most popular? ▼
Alain was most popular in the 1980s decade with 738 total births. The single peak year was 1988.
Where is Alain most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Alain are Florida (789 births), California (608 births), New York (579 births).
How long has the name Alain been used? ▼
Alain has been recorded in Social Security data since 1942, spanning 84 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Alain? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Alan, Alaric, Alastair, Alakai, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Alain's data
- Alain's usage has stayed within range of its 1980s decade-level peak (738 total births) through the 2020s (276) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Florida records the most Alains (789 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Florida 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 Alain
Nearby Names Like Alain
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Alain
Alan Boy
#167 363,313 births
Alaric Boy
#1110 3,961 births
Alastair Boy
#2376 1,364 births
Alakai Boy
#1582 910 births
Alasdair Boy
#3748 525 births
Compare Alain side by side: Alain vs Alan Alain vs Alaric Alain vs Alastair
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Alain
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, 1942–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Alain: #3234 Boys' Name - 3,980 Births, Peak 1988." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/alain. 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 Alain 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.