Unisex name · since 1880
Alden
18,221 babies named Alden in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2024. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #870 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #598 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 18,221
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Yes -- Alden is the #598 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 18,221 recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Alden has been recorded 18,221 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #598 nationally and more common than 96% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #870 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #598 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 18,221 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Alden ranks #870 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #598 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 18,221 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #870 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #598 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 18,221
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Alden's 18,221 recorded births place it above 98.08% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
47 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Alden compares
18,221 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
Alden's all-time total is 49x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Alden | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 18,221 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 494 | 34 | 22,252 |
Alden's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Alden's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 68% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 32%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1885, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2024 peak of 494, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Alden popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2024)
- 494
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Alden popularity over time - girls
952 total births recorded since 1924 (Alden as girls' name)
Alden by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (3,444 births, 19% of the file).
2010s was Alden's strongest decade.
3,444 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 19% of all-time use.
Alden births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 77
1880s
77 births
- 1890s 94
1890s
94 births
- 1900s 159
1900s
159 births
- 1910s 1,187
1910s
1,187 births
- 1920s
1920s
1,748 births
- 1930s 1,290
1930s
1,290 births
- 1940s 1,049
1940s
1,049 births
- 1950s 939
1950s
939 births
- 1960s 720
1960s
720 births
- 1970s 497
1970s
497 births
- 1980s 800
1980s
800 births
- 1990s 1,310
1990s
1,310 births
- 2000s
2000s
2,277 births
- 2010s
2010s
3,444 births
- 2020s
2020s
2,630 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 3,444 births (19% of all-time use).
How Alden 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 Alden's total volume
Alden by state
Where Alden concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,610 | 8.8% |
| #2 | Massachusetts | | 856 | 4.7% |
| #3 | New York | | 850 | 4.7% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 691 | 3.8% |
| #5 | Texas | | 646 | 3.5% |
| #6 | Minnesota | | 580 | 3.2% |
| #7 | Washington | | 472 | 2.6% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 454 | 2.5% |
1,610 of 18,221 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 47 reporting states.
Alden appears in 47 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Alden? ▼
Where does Alden sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Alden most popular? ▼
Where is Alden most popular? ▼
Is Alden a unisex name? ▼
How long has the name Alden been used? ▼
What names are similar to Alden? ▼
What to do with Alden's data
- Alden's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (3,444 total births) through the 2020s (2,630) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Aldens (1,610 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Alden
Nearby Names Like Alden
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Alden
Compare Alden side by side: Alden vs Aldo Alden vs Aldon Alden vs Aldair
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Alden
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Alden: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2024)
Similar record span (~145 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, 1880–2025 (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 Alden 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.