Unisex name · since 2001

Bly

Since 2001, U.S. Social Security records show 50 babies named Bly, peaking in 2002. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#22,136 of 45,481
all-time among boys
50
born since 2001
2000s
peak decade

Bly is not among the current top-ranked boys names; 50 have been recorded since 2001.

Social Security Administration records show Bly recorded 50 times among boys since 2001, though it doesn't currently rank among the most-used boys names, peaking in the 2000s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 2001 to 2010.

  • #22,136 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • 50 born since 2001
  • 2000s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bly ranks #22,136 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 50 born since 2001, peaking in the 2000s.

#22,136 of 45,481
all-time among boys
50
born since 2001
2000s
peak decade
Below the archive median
All-time archive position

Bly's 50 recorded births place it above 51.05% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

National only
State-record footprint

No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.

Bly's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Bly's full recorded timeline at 2006, 52% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 48% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 2001, with just 6 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2002 peak of 12 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Bly popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2001–2010

Last recorded 2010
Peak year (2002)
12
Annual births at peak, across 10 years of records
468101214 2001200220042006200720082010 7

Bly popularity over time - girls

10 total births recorded since 2015 (Bly as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 10 births
5 20152021 5

Bly by decade

2000s is the heaviest window (43 births, 86% of the file).

2000s was Bly's strongest decade.

43 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 86% of all-time use.

Bly births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2000s at 43 births (86% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Bly? ▼
Since 2001, Social Security records show 50 babies named Bly. Across the full SSA archive it ranks #22,136 of 45,481 boys' names by total births. The most recent recorded year was 2010. Its busiest year on record was 2002, with 12 births.
Where does Bly sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bly ranks #22,136 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the null SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Bly most popular? ▼
Bly was most popular in the 2000s decade with 43 total births. The single peak year was 2002.
Is Bly a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Bly is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 50 births, and as a girl's name it has 10 births.
How long has the name Bly been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Bly since 2001 -- 10 years through the most recent 2010 data.
What names are similar to Bly? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Blythe, Blynn. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Bly's data

  • Bly's decade-level peak was the 2000s (43 total births); usage has since declined to 7 in the 2010s -- 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 Bly

Nearby Names Like Bly

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Bly

Blythe Boy
#7732 273 births
Blynn Boy
11 births

Compare Bly side by side: Bly vs Blythe Bly vs Blynn

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar number of total births

Sig
50 births · Peak 1915
Bossie
50 births · Peak 1919
Loveless
50 births · Peak 1926
Aldus
50 births · Peak 1916
Zygmont
50 births · Peak 1919
Genovevo
50 births · Peak 1916
Florent
50 births · Peak 1923
Meron
50 births · Peak 1993

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Bly: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 2001–2010 (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 Bly 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.