Boys' name · since 1982
Balke
21 babies named Balke in U.S. Social Security records since 1982, with the highest year being 1986. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #28,514 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 21
- born since 1982
- 1980s
- peak decade
21 boys have been named Balke since 1982, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.
Social Security Administration records show Balke recorded 21 times among boys since 1982, though it doesn't currently rank among the most-used boys names, peaking in the 1980s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1982 to 1990.
- #28,514 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 21 born since 1982
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Balke ranks #28,514 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 21 born since 1982, peaking in the 1980s.
- #28,514 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 21
- born since 1982
- 1980s
- peak decade
Balke's 21 recorded births place it above 36.43% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
Balke's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Balke splits its recorded history at 1987: 48% of all births land in the more recent half, 52% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1982 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1986 peak of 6 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Balke popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1982–1990
- Peak year (1986)
- 6
- Annual births at peak, across 9 years of records
Balke by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (16 births, 76% of the file).
1980s was Balke's strongest decade.
16 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 76% of all-time use.
Balke births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1980s
1980s
16 births
- 1990s 5
1990s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 16 births (76% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
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When was Balke most popular? ▼
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What to do with Balke's data
- Balke's decade-level peak was the 1980s (16 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 1990s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Balke
Nearby Names Like Balke
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Balke
Compare Balke side by side: Balke vs Baltazar Balke vs Baldemar Balke vs Ballard
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Balke: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1986)
Similar record span (~8 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, 1982–1990 (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 Balke 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.