Boys' name · since 1913
Ames
1,855 babies named Ames in U.S. Social Security records since 1913, with the highest year being 2023. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #3,464 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,758 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,855
- born since 1913
- 2010s
- peak decade
1,855 babies have been named Ames since 1913, making it today's #1758 boys' name.
Ames has 1,855 recorded births among boys since 1913, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1758 as of the latest data, more common than 87% 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 1913 to 2025.
- #3,464 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,758 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 1,855 born since 1913
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ames ranks #3,464 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,758 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,855 born since 1913, peaking in the 2010s.
- #3,464 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,758 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,855
- born since 1913
- 2010s
- peak decade
Ames's 1,855 recorded births place it above 92.38% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
14 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Ames compares
1,855 Top 23% higher than 77% 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
Ames's all-time total is 5x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Ames | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,855 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 93 | 34 | 22,252 |
Ames's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Ames splits its recorded history at 1965: 78% of all births land in the more recent half, 22% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1914 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2023 peak of 93 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Ames popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1913–2025
- Peak year (2023)
- 93
- Annual births at peak, across 113 years of records
Ames popularity over time - girls
10 total births recorded since 2016 (Ames as girls' name)
Ames by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (526 births, 28% of the file).
2010s was Ames's strongest decade.
526 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 28% of all-time use.
Ames births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 54
1910s
54 births
- 1920s 72
1920s
72 births
- 1930s 80
1930s
80 births
- 1940s 62
1940s
62 births
- 1950s 102
1950s
102 births
- 1960s 98
1960s
98 births
- 1970s 110
1970s
110 births
- 1980s 173
1980s
173 births
- 1990s 11
1990s
11 births
- 2000s 54
2000s
54 births
- 2010s
2010s
526 births
- 2020s
2020s
513 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 526 births (28% of all-time use).
How Ames 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 Ames's total volume
Ames by state
Where Ames concentrates geographically, total births since 1913
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 87 | 4.7% |
| #2 | Texas | | 60 | 3.2% |
| #3 | Minnesota | | 38 | 2.0% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 15 | 0.8% |
| #5 | North Carolina | | 15 | 0.8% |
| #6 | Colorado | | 10 | 0.5% |
| #7 | Utah | | 10 | 0.5% |
| #8 | Wisconsin | | 10 | 0.5% |
87 of 1,855 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 14 reporting states.
Ames appears in 14 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Ames? ▼
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What to do with Ames's data
- Ames's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (526 total births) through the 2020s (513) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Amess (87 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 Ames
Nearby Names Like Ames
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Ames
Compare Ames side by side: Ames vs Ameer Ames vs Americo Ames vs Ameen
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Ames
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Ames: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2023)
Similar record span (~112 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, 1913–2025 (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 Ames 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.