Unisex name · since 1971
Arrow
1,717 babies named Arrow in U.S. Social Security records since 1971, with the highest year being 2018. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #3,627 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,985 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,717
- born since 1971
- 2010s
- peak decade
Yes -- Arrow is the #1985 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 1,717 recorded since 1971.
Arrow has 1,717 recorded births among boys since 1971, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1985 as of the latest data, more common than 86% 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 1971 to 2025.
- #3,627 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,985 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 1,717 born since 1971
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Arrow ranks #3,627 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,985 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,717 born since 1971, peaking in the 2010s.
- #3,627 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,985 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,717
- born since 1971
- 2010s
- peak decade
Arrow's 1,717 recorded births place it above 92.02% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
24 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Arrow compares
1,717 Top 24% higher than 76% 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
Arrow's all-time total is 5x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Arrow | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,717 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 172 | 34 | 22,252 |
Arrow's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Arrow splits its recorded history at 2007: 93% of all births land in the more recent half, 7% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1971 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2018 peak of 172 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Arrow popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1971–2025
- Peak year (2018)
- 172
- Annual births at peak, across 55 years of records
Arrow popularity over time - girls
858 total births recorded since 2007 (Arrow as girls' name)
Arrow by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (868 births, 51% of the file).
2010s was Arrow's strongest decade.
868 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 51% of all-time use.
Arrow births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 17
1970s
17 births
- 1980s 11
1980s
11 births
- 1990s 42
1990s
42 births
- 2000s 79
2000s
79 births
- 2010s
2010s
868 births
- 2020s
2020s
700 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 868 births (51% of all-time use).
How Arrow 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 Arrow's total volume
Arrow by state
Where Arrow concentrates geographically, total births since 1971
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 210 | 12.2% |
| #2 | Texas | | 103 | 6.0% |
| #3 | Florida | | 74 | 4.3% |
| #4 | Arizona | | 37 | 2.2% |
| #5 | Washington | | 37 | 2.2% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 32 | 1.9% |
| #7 | Indiana | | 31 | 1.8% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 29 | 1.7% |
210 of 1,717 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 24 reporting states.
Arrow appears in 24 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Arrow's data
- Arrow's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (868 total births) through the 2020s (700) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Arrows (210 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 Arrow
Nearby Names Like Arrow
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Arrow
Compare Arrow side by side: Arrow vs Arron Arrow vs Arrington Arrow vs Arrie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Arrow
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Arrow: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2018)
Similar record span (~54 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, 1971–2025 (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 Arrow 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.