Total births
6,374
Unisex name · since 1919
Baby
6,374 babies named Baby in U.S. Social Security records since 1919, with the highest year being 1994. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #4452
- among boys today
- 6,374
- born since 1919
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 69%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Baby is the #4452 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 6,374 recorded since 1919.
Social Security Administration records show Baby recorded 6,374 times among boys since 1919, holding rank #4452 nationally today, ahead of 69% of boys, peaking in the 1990s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1919 to 2025.
- #4452 among boys today
- 6,374 born since 1919
- 1990s peak decade
- 69% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Baby is currently the #4452 unisex name in America, more common than 69% of boys - 6,374 born since 1919, peaking in the 1990s.
- #4452
- among boys today
- 6,374
- born since 1919
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 69%
- more common than other boys
Baby vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#4452
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 69% of names given to boys today.
1990s
Peak decade
46% of everyone ever named Baby was born in this single decade.
1994
Single peak year
373 babies were named Baby in 1994 - its busiest year on record.
How Baby compares
6,374 Top 10% higher than 90% 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
Baby's all-time total is 17x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Baby | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 6,374 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 373 | 23 | 22,252 |
Baby's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Baby splits its recorded history at 1984: 90% of all births land in the more recent half, 10% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1919 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1994 peak of 373 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Baby at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1994
Current rank
#4,452
Active since
1919
Baby popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1919–2025
- Peak year (1994)
- 373
- Annual births at peak, across 107 years of records
Baby popularity over time - girls
6,107 total births recorded since 1912 (Baby as girls' name)
Baby by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Baby's strongest decade.
2,952 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 46% of all-time use.
Baby births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 5
1910s
5 births
- 1920s 101
1920s
101 births
- 1930s 77
1930s
77 births
- 1940s 22
1940s
22 births
- 1950s 25
1950s
25 births
- 1970s 215
1970s
215 births
- 1980s 1,042
1980s
1,042 births
- 1990s
1990s
2,952 births
- 2000s
2000s
1,523 births
- 2010s 229
2010s
229 births
- 2020s 183
2020s
183 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 2,952 births (46% of all-time use).
How Baby 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 Baby's total volume
Baby vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Baby by state
Where Baby concentrates geographically, total births since 1919
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 1,347 | 21.1% |
| #2 | Texas | | 571 | 9.0% |
| #3 | Virginia | | 462 | 7.2% |
| #4 | Florida | | 262 | 4.1% |
| #5 | New Hampshire | | 251 | 3.9% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 244 | 3.8% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 237 | 3.7% |
| #8 | Georgia | | 201 | 3.2% |
Pennsylvania share of Baby's total US births 21.1%
Even split
1,347 of 6,374 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 36 reporting states.
Baby appears in 36 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Baby? ▼
6,374 babies have been named Baby since 1919. It currently ranks #4452 among boys. The peak year was 1994 with 373 births.
When was Baby most popular? ▼
Baby was most popular in the 1990s decade with 2,952 total births. The single peak year was 1994.
Where is Baby most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Baby are Pennsylvania (1,347 births), Texas (571 births), Virginia (462 births).
Is Baby a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Baby is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 6,374 births, and as a girl's name it has 6,107 births.
How long has the name Baby been used? ▼
Baby has been recorded in Social Security data since 1919, spanning 107 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Baby? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Babyboy, Babe, Babatunde, Babak, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Baby's data
- Baby's decade-level peak was the 1990s (2,952 total births); usage has since declined to 183 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Babys (1,347 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania 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 Baby
Nearby Names Like Baby
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Baby
Babyboy Boy
#3132 2,291 births
Babe Boy
345 births
Babatunde Boy
344 births
Babak Boy
287 births
Babacar Boy
#7043 224 births
Compare Baby side by side: Baby vs Babyboy Baby vs Babe Baby vs Babatunde
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Baby
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, 1919–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Baby: #4452 Unisex Name - 6,374 Births, Peak 1994." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/baby. 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 Baby 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.