Boys' name · since 1882

Ansel

Since 1882, U.S. Social Security records show 4,801 babies named Ansel, peaking in 2025. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#1,829 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#1,138 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
4,801
born since 1882
2010s
peak decade

Yes -- Ansel is the #1138 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 4,801 recorded since 1882.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ansel has been recorded 4,801 times among boys since 1882, currently ranked #1138 nationally and more common than 92% 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 1882 to 2025.

  • #1,829 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #1,138 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 4,801 born since 1882
  • 2010s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ansel ranks #1,829 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,138 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 4,801 born since 1882, peaking in the 2010s.

#1,829 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#1,138 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
4,801
born since 1882
2010s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%91.8%
Ansel vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Ansel's 4,801 recorded births place it above 95.97% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

25 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

25 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Ansel compares

4,801 Top 13% higher than 87% 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

Ansel's all-time total is 13x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Ansel Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 4,801 369 358,536
Peak-year births 186 34 22,252

Ansel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Ansel's full recorded timeline at 1959, 71% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 29% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1882, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2025 peak of 186 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Ansel popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (2025)
186
Annual births at peak, across 144 years of records
050100150200 188219101927194419611978199520122025 186

Ansel popularity over time - girls

10 total births recorded since 1918 (Ansel as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 10 births
5 19182016 5

Ansel by decade

2010s is the heaviest window (1,204 births, 25% of the file).

2010s was Ansel's strongest decade.

1,204 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.

Ansel births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2010s at 1,204 births (25% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Ansel 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 Ansel's total volume

Ansel vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8%10% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -107, 2.7%-45, 5.7%-59, 6.5%-39, 7.2%-41, 7.7%-107, 4%-37, 5.8%-112, 2.1%-36, 6.8%-146, 2.6%-53, 7.5%-111, 2.1%-37, 8.5%-146, 1.6%-73, 3.3%Ansel-144, 3.9%Ansel
Ansel vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Ansel by state

Where Ansel concentrates geographically, total births since 1882

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Ansel
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
577 12.0%
#2 South Carolina
263 5.5%
#3 Texas
169 3.5%
#4 New York
157 3.3%
#5 Colorado
107 2.2%
#6 Washington
74 1.5%
#7 Florida
62 1.3%
#8 Oregon
47 1.0%
California share of Ansel's total US births 12.0%
Even split

577 of 4,801 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 25 reporting states.

Ansel appears in 25 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Ansel?
4,801 babies have been named Ansel since 1882. All-time, it sits at #1,829 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #1,138 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 2025 with 186 births.
Where does Ansel sit in the SSA name archive?
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ansel ranks #1,829 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,138 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Ansel most popular?
Ansel was most popular in the 2010s decade with 1,204 total births. The single peak year was 2025.
Where is Ansel most popular?
The top states for the name Ansel are California (577 births), South Carolina (263 births), Texas (169 births).
How long has the name Ansel been used?
Ansel has been recorded in Social Security data since 1882, spanning 144 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Ansel?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Anson, Anselmo, Ansh, Anshul, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Ansel's data

  • Ansel's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (1,204 total births) through the 2020s (971) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • California records the most Ansels (577 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 Ansel

Nearby Names Like Ansel

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Ansel

Names with a similar popularity rank to Ansel

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Ansel: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1882–2025 (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 Ansel 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.