Boys' name · since 1880
Allen
271,796 babies named Allen in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1951. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #138 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #578 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 271,796
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
271,796 babies have been named Allen since 1880, making it today's #578 boys' name.
Allen has 271,796 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #578 as of the latest data, more common than 96% of boys, busiest in the 1950s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #138 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #578 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 271,796 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Allen ranks #138 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #578 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 271,796 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #138 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #578 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 271,796
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Allen's 271,796 recorded births place it above 99.69% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Allen compares
271,796 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Allen's all-time total is 737x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Allen | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 271,796 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 5,179 | 34 | 22,252 |
Allen's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Allen splits its recorded history at 1953: 57% of all births land in the more recent half, 43% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1881 (172 births) -- compare that against the 1951 peak of 5,179 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Allen popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1951)
- 5,179
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Allen popularity over time - girls
1,866 total births recorded since 1896 (Allen as girls' name)
Allen by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (47,322 births, 17% of the file).
1950s was Allen's strongest decade.
47,322 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Allen births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,998
1880s
1,998 births
- 1890s 2,002
1890s
2,002 births
- 1900s 2,558
1900s
2,558 births
- 1910s 11,493
1910s
11,493 births
- 1920s
1920s
20,092 births
- 1930s
1930s
24,356 births
- 1940s
1940s
39,049 births
- 1950s
1950s
47,322 births
- 1960s
1960s
37,694 births
- 1970s
1970s
21,667 births
- 1980s
1980s
21,904 births
- 1990s 16,951
1990s
16,951 births
- 2000s 12,581
2000s
12,581 births
- 2010s 8,821
2010s
8,821 births
- 2020s 3,308
2020s
3,308 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 47,322 births (17% of all-time use).
How Allen 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 Allen's total volume
Allen by state
Where Allen concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 20,329 | 7.5% |
| #2 | New York | | 17,703 | 6.5% |
| #3 | Texas | | 15,324 | 5.6% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 14,583 | 5.4% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 12,898 | 4.7% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 12,229 | 4.5% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 11,073 | 4.1% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 8,852 | 3.3% |
20,329 of 271,796 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Allen appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Allen's data
- Allen's decade-level peak was the 1950s (47,322 total births); usage has since declined to 3,308 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Allens (20,329 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 Allen
Nearby Names Like Allen
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Allen
Compare Allen side by side: Allen vs Allan Allen vs Allison Allen vs Allyn
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Allen
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Allen: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1951)
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 Allen 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.