Boys' name · since 1880
Ballard
1,159 babies named Ballard in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1922. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #4,684 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #10,707 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,159
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
1,159 babies have been named Ballard since 1880, making it today's #10707 boys' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ballard has been recorded 1,159 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #10707 nationally and more common than 23% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. 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.
- #4,684 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #10,707 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 1,159 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ballard ranks #4,684 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #10,707 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,159 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #4,684 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #10,707 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,159
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Ballard's 1,159 recorded births place it above 89.69% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 3 jurisdictions, led by Kentucky.
How Ballard compares
1,159 Top 29% higher than 71% 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
Ballard's all-time total is 3x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Ballard | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,159 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 40 | 34 | 22,252 |
Ballard's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Ballard's full recorded timeline at 1935, 43% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 57% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1885, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1922 peak of 40 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Ballard popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1922)
- 40
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Ballard by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (257 births, 22% of the file).
1920s was Ballard's strongest decade.
257 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Ballard births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 60
1880s
60 births
- 1890s 24
1890s
24 births
- 1900s 27
1900s
27 births
- 1910s
1910s
193 births
- 1920s
1920s
257 births
- 1930s
1930s
194 births
- 1940s
1940s
157 births
- 1950s
1950s
129 births
- 1960s 69
1960s
69 births
- 1970s 24
1970s
24 births
- 1980s 6
1980s
6 births
- 1990s 7
1990s
7 births
- 2000s 6
2000s
6 births
- 2020s 6
2020s
6 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 257 births (22% of all-time use).
How Ballard 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 Ballard's total volume
Ballard by state
Where Ballard concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Kentucky | | 262 | 22.6% |
| #2 | Virginia | | 70 | 6.0% |
| #3 | West Virginia | | 19 | 1.6% |
262 of 1,159 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 3 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Ballard? ▼
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When was Ballard most popular? ▼
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What to do with Ballard's data
- Ballard's decade-level peak was the 1920s (257 total births); usage has since declined to 6 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Kentucky records the most Ballards (262 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Kentucky names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Ballard
Nearby Names Like Ballard
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Ballard
Compare Ballard side by side: Ballard vs Baltazar Ballard vs Baldemar Ballard vs Baldomero
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Ballard
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Ballard: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1922)
Similar record span (~145 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, 1880–2025 (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 Ballard 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.