Total births
10,230
Girls' name · since 1985
Ally
10,230 babies named Ally in U.S. Social Security records since 1985, with the highest year being 1998. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1878
- among girls today
- 10,230
- born since 1985
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 89%
- more common than other girls
10,230 babies have been named Ally since 1985, making it today's #1878 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Ally recorded 10,230 times among girls since 1985, holding rank #1878 nationally today, ahead of 89% of girls, peaking in the 2000s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1985 to 2025.
- #1878 among girls today
- 10,230 born since 1985
- 2000s peak decade
- 89% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Ally is currently the #1878 girls' name in America, more common than 89% of girls - 10,230 born since 1985, peaking in the 2000s.
- #1878
- among girls today
- 10,230
- born since 1985
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 89%
- more common than other girls
Ally vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1878
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 89% of names given to girls today.
2000s
Peak decade
41% of everyone ever named Ally was born in this single decade.
1998
Single peak year
636 babies were named Ally in 1998 - its busiest year on record.
How Ally compares
10,230 Top 9% higher than 91% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Ally's all-time total is 27x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Ally | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 10,230 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 636 | 48 | 19,840 |
Ally's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Ally's full recorded timeline at 2005, 60% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 40% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1985, with just 13 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1998 peak of 636 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Ally at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1998
Current rank
#1,878
Active since
1985
Ally popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1985–2025
- Peak year (1998)
- 636
- Annual births at peak, across 41 years of records
Ally popularity over time - boys
17 total births recorded since 1996 (Ally as boys' name)
Ally by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Ally's strongest decade.
4,144 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 41% of all-time use.
Ally births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1980s 178
1980s
178 births
- 1990s
1990s
1,812 births
- 2000s
2000s
4,144 births
- 2010s
2010s
3,347 births
- 2020s 749
2020s
749 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 4,144 births (41% of all-time use).
How Ally compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Ally's total volume
Ally vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Ally by state
Where Ally concentrates geographically, total births since 1985
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 894 | 8.7% |
| #2 | Texas | | 871 | 8.5% |
| #3 | Florida | | 401 | 3.9% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 356 | 3.5% |
| #5 | Georgia | | 347 | 3.4% |
| #6 | New York | | 347 | 3.4% |
| #7 | Tennessee | | 337 | 3.3% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 335 | 3.3% |
California share of Ally's total US births 8.7%
Even split
894 of 10,230 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 41 reporting states.
Ally appears in 41 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Ally? ▼
Since 1985, Social Security records show 10,230 babies named Ally. Today it holds rank #1878 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1998, with 636 births.
When was Ally most popular? ▼
Ally was most popular in the 2000s decade with 4,144 total births. The single peak year was 1998.
Where is Ally most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Ally are California (894 births), Texas (871 births), Florida (401 births).
How long has the name Ally been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Ally since 1985 -- 41 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Ally? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Allison, Allyson, Allie, Allene, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Ally's data
- Ally's decade-level peak was the 2000s (4,144 total births); usage has since declined to 749 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Allys (894 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California 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 Ally
Nearby Names Like Ally
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Ally
Allison Girl
#99 319,119 births
Allyson Girl
#917 53,758 births
Allie Girl
#554 53,251 births
Allene Girl
8,762 births
Allyssa Girl
#15713 6,675 births
Compare Ally side by side: Ally vs Allison Ally vs Allyson Ally vs Allie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Ally
Emmi #1877
2,335 births · Peak 2018
Ruhi #1879
1,333 births · Peak 2020
Elana #1876
8,909 births · Peak 2006
Akari #1880
1,132 births · Peak 2023
Joni #1875
28,815 births · Peak 1956
Miabella #1881
2,084 births · Peak 2013
Shannon #1874
295,782 births · Peak 1970
Aashvi #1882
1,082 births · Peak 2023
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, 1985–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Ally: #1878 Girls' Name - 10,230 Births, Peak 1998." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/ally. 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 Ally 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.