Total births
12,230
Boys' name · since 1882
Booker
12,230 babies named Booker in U.S. Social Security records since 1882, with the highest year being 1916. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1291
- among boys today
- 12,230
- born since 1882
- 1910s
- peak decade
- 91%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Booker is the #1291 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 12,230 recorded since 1882.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Booker has been recorded 12,230 times among boys since 1882, currently ranked #1291 nationally and more common than 91% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1910s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1882 to 2025.
- #1291 among boys today
- 12,230 born since 1882
- 1910s peak decade
- 91% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Booker is currently the #1291 boys' name in America, more common than 91% of boys - 12,230 born since 1882, peaking in the 1910s.
- #1291
- among boys today
- 12,230
- born since 1882
- 1910s
- peak decade
- 91%
- more common than other boys
Booker vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#1291
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 91% of names given to boys today.
1910s
Peak decade
17% of everyone ever named Booker was born in this single decade.
1916
Single peak year
294 babies were named Booker in 1916 - its busiest year on record.
How Booker compares
12,230 Top 7% higher than 93% 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
Booker's all-time total is 33x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Booker | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 12,230 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 294 | 23 | 22,252 |
Booker's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Booker's SSA record in two at 1957 and the more recent half accounts for 29% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 71%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1882, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1916 peak of 294, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Booker at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1916
Current rank
#1,291
Active since
1882
Booker popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2025
- Peak year (1916)
- 294
- Annual births at peak, across 144 years of records
Booker popularity over time - girls
5 total births recorded since 1925 (Booker as girls' name)
Booker by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1910s was Booker's strongest decade.
2,051 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Booker births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 16
1880s
16 births
- 1890s 79
1890s
79 births
- 1900s 809
1900s
809 births
- 1910s
1910s
2,051 births
- 1920s
1920s
1,769 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,542 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,548 births
- 1950s
1950s
1,187 births
- 1960s 614
1960s
614 births
- 1970s 425
1970s
425 births
- 1980s 295
1980s
295 births
- 1990s 217
1990s
217 births
- 2000s 188
2000s
188 births
- 2010s 552
2010s
552 births
- 2020s
2020s
938 births
What this shows Peak: 1910s at 2,051 births (17% of all-time use).
How Booker 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 Booker's total volume
Booker vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Booker by state
Where Booker concentrates geographically, total births since 1882
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Mississippi | | 1,356 | 11.1% |
| #2 | Alabama | | 962 | 7.9% |
| #3 | Texas | | 854 | 7.0% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 751 | 6.1% |
| #5 | South Carolina | | 669 | 5.5% |
| #6 | North Carolina | | 559 | 4.6% |
| #7 | Arkansas | | 529 | 4.3% |
| #8 | Louisiana | | 466 | 3.8% |
Mississippi share of Booker's total US births 11.1%
Even split
1,356 of 12,230 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 32 reporting states.
Booker appears in 32 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Booker? ▼
12,230 babies have been named Booker since 1882. It currently ranks #1291 among boys. The peak year was 1916 with 294 births.
When was Booker most popular? ▼
Booker was most popular in the 1910s decade with 2,051 total births. The single peak year was 1916.
Where is Booker most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Booker are Mississippi (1,356 births), Alabama (962 births), Texas (854 births).
How long has the name Booker been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Booker since 1882 -- 144 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Booker? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Boone, Boomer, Bookert, Booth, and 2 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Booker's data
- Booker's usage has stayed within range of its 1910s decade-level peak (2,051 total births) through the 2020s (938) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Mississippi records the most Bookers (1,356 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Mississippi 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 Booker
Nearby Names Like Booker
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Booker
Boone Boy
#534 6,887 births
Boomer Boy
#10496 142 births
Bookert Boy
87 births
Booth Boy
49 births
Boots Boy
28 births
Compare Booker side by side: Booker vs Boone Booker vs Boomer Booker vs Bookert
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Booker
Ulysses #1290
18,655 births · Peak 1999
Terrance #1292
70,170 births · Peak 1988
Karsyn #1289
2,898 births · Peak 2020
Sultan #1293
2,396 births · Peak 2025
Graysen #1288
4,384 births · Peak 2016
Bronx #1294
2,388 births · Peak 2025
Ansel #1287
4,801 births · Peak 2025
Jeffery #1295
230,549 births · Peak 1962
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, 1882–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Booker: #1291 Boys' Name - 12,230 Births, Peak 1916." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/booker. 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 Booker 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.