Total births
1,488,042
Boys' name · since 1880
Anthony
1,488,042 babies named Anthony in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1990. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #44
- among boys today
- 1,488,042
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 99.7%
- more common than other boys
Anthony currently ranks #44 among boys' names in America, with 1,488,042 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Anthony has been recorded 1,488,042 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #44 nationally and more common than 99.7% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1990s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #44 among boys today
- 1,488,042 born since 1880
- 1990s peak decade
- 99.7% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Anthony is currently the #44 boys' name in America, more common than 99.7% of boys - 1,488,042 born since 1880, peaking in the 1990s.
- #44
- among boys today
- 1,488,042
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 99.7%
- more common than other boys
Anthony vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#44
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 99.7% of names given to boys today.
1990s
Peak decade
15% of everyone ever named Anthony was born in this single decade.
1990
Single peak year
25,088 babies were named Anthony in 1990 - its busiest year on record.
How Anthony compares
1,488,042 Top 0% higher than 100% of 14,294 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
Anthony's all-time total is 4,055x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Anthony | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,488,042 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 25,088 | 23 | 22,252 |
Anthony's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Anthony splits its recorded history at 1953: 84% of all births land in the more recent half, 16% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1881 (128 births) -- compare that against the 1990 peak of 25,088 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Anthony at a glance
Top 100 boys' namePeak year
1990
Current rank
#44
Active since
1880
Anthony popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1990)
- 25,088
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Anthony popularity over time - girls
7,114 total births recorded since 1896 (Anthony as girls' name)
Anthony by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Anthony's strongest decade.
216,231 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 15% of all-time use.
Anthony births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,611
1880s
1,611 births
- 1890s 2,453
1890s
2,453 births
- 1900s 5,043
1900s
5,043 births
- 1910s 35,627
1910s
35,627 births
- 1920s 50,054
1920s
50,054 births
- 1930s 42,546
1930s
42,546 births
- 1940s 64,825
1940s
64,825 births
- 1950s
1950s
136,647 births
- 1960s
1960s
203,159 births
- 1970s
1970s
174,873 births
- 1980s
1980s
211,861 births
- 1990s
1990s
216,231 births
- 2000s
2000s
191,928 births
- 2010s
2010s
112,151 births
- 2020s 39,033
2020s
39,033 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 216,231 births (15% of all-time use).
How Anthony 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 Anthony's total volume
Anthony vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Anthony by state
Where Anthony concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 195,094 | 13.1% |
| #2 | California | | 187,364 | 12.6% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 93,642 | 6.3% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 83,273 | 5.6% |
| #5 | Texas | | 81,281 | 5.5% |
| #6 | New Jersey | | 74,581 | 5.0% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 66,164 | 4.4% |
| #8 | Florida | | 60,538 | 4.1% |
New York share of Anthony's total US births 13.1%
Even split
195,094 of 1,488,042 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Anthony appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Anthony? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 1,488,042 babies named Anthony. Today it holds rank #44 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1990, with 25,088 births.
When was Anthony most popular? ▼
Anthony was most popular in the 1990s decade with 216,231 total births. The single peak year was 1990.
Where is Anthony most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Anthony are New York (195,094 births), California (187,364 births), Pennsylvania (93,642 births).
How long has the name Anthony been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Anthony since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Anthony? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Antonio, Antoine, Anton, Antwan, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Anthony's data
- Anthony's decade-level peak was the 1990s (216,231 total births); usage has since declined to 39,033 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Anthonys (195,094 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York 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 Anthony
Nearby Names Like Anthony
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Anthony
Antonio Boy
#180 262,995 births
Antoine Boy
#1599 27,288 births
Anton Boy
#1481 23,915 births
Antwan Boy
#2539 12,517 births
Antony Boy
#1780 10,701 births
Compare Anthony side by side: Anthony vs Antonio Anthony vs Antoine Anthony vs Anton
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Anthony
Gabriel #43
395,778 births · Peak 2008
Logan #45
387,999 births · Peak 2007
Mason #42
342,583 births · Peak 2011
Carter #46
206,833 births · Peak 2015
Isaac #41
331,508 births · Peak 2007
Aiden #47
257,765 births · Peak 2009
Jacob #40
988,227 births · Peak 1998
Grayson #48
128,994 births · Peak 2017
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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Anthony: #44 Boys' Name - 1,488,042 Births, Peak 1990." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/anthony. 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 Anthony 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.