Boys' name · since 1894
Alston
Alston has 2,578 recorded births since 1894 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2017 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #2,816 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #5,620 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 2,578
- born since 1894
- 2010s
- peak decade
Yes -- Alston is the #5620 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 2,578 recorded since 1894.
Alston has 2,578 recorded births among boys since 1894, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #5620 as of the latest data, more common than 60% of boys, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1894 to 2025.
- #2,816 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #5,620 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 2,578 born since 1894
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Alston ranks #2,816 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #5,620 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 2,578 born since 1894, peaking in the 2010s.
- #2,816 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #5,620 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 2,578
- born since 1894
- 2010s
- peak decade
Alston's 2,578 recorded births place it above 93.8% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
8 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by North Carolina.
How Alston compares
2,578 Top 19% higher than 81% 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
Alston's all-time total is 7x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Alston | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 2,578 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 70 | 34 | 22,252 |
Alston's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Alston's SSA record in two at 1970 and the more recent half accounts for 75% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 25%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1971, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2017 peak of 70, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Alston popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1894–2025
- Peak year (2017)
- 70
- Annual births at peak, across 132 years of records
Alston popularity over time - girls
22 total births recorded since 1997 (Alston as girls' name)
Alston by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (594 births, 23% of the file).
2010s was Alston's strongest decade.
594 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.
Alston births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 7
1890s
7 births
- 1910s 108
1910s
108 births
- 1920s 155
1920s
155 births
- 1930s 113
1930s
113 births
- 1940s 92
1940s
92 births
- 1950s 93
1950s
93 births
- 1960s 77
1960s
77 births
- 1970s 72
1970s
72 births
- 1980s 152
1980s
152 births
- 1990s
1990s
471 births
- 2000s
2000s
469 births
- 2010s
2010s
594 births
- 2020s 175
2020s
175 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 594 births (23% of all-time use).
How Alston 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 Alston's total volume
Alston by state
Where Alston concentrates geographically, total births since 1894
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | North Carolina | | 191 | 7.4% |
| #2 | California | | 190 | 7.4% |
| #3 | New York | | 158 | 6.1% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 44 | 1.7% |
| #5 | South Carolina | | 28 | 1.1% |
| #6 | Texas | | 16 | 0.6% |
| #7 | Florida | | 11 | 0.4% |
| #8 | Virginia | | 10 | 0.4% |
191 of 2,578 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 8 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Alston's data
- Alston's decade-level peak was the 2010s (594 total births); usage has since declined to 175 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- North Carolina records the most Alstons (191 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. North Carolina names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Alston
Nearby Names Like Alston
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Alston
Compare Alston side by side: Alston vs Alson Alston vs Alshon Alston vs Alshawn
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Alston
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Alston: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2017)
Similar record span (~131 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, 1894–2025 (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 Alston 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.