Unisex name · since 1880
Boston
Boston has 10,901 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2014 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1,147 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #620 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 10,901
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Boston currently ranks #620 among unisex names in America, with 10,901 babies recorded since 1880.
Boston has 10,901 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #620 as of the latest data, more common than 96% of boys, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1,147 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #620 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 10,901 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Boston ranks #1,147 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #620 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 10,901 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #1,147 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #620 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 10,901
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Boston's 10,901 recorded births place it above 97.47% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
44 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Utah.
How Boston compares
10,901 Top 9% higher than 91% 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
Boston's all-time total is 30x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Boston | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 10,901 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 497 | 34 | 22,252 |
Boston's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Boston splits its recorded history at 1962: 96% of all births land in the more recent half, 4% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1880 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2014 peak of 497 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Boston popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2014)
- 497
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Boston popularity over time - girls
1,043 total births recorded since 1992 (Boston as girls' name)
Boston by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (4,481 births, 41% of the file).
2010s was Boston's strongest decade.
4,481 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 41% of all-time use.
Boston births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 15
1880s
15 births
- 1890s 12
1890s
12 births
- 1900s 29
1900s
29 births
- 1910s 94
1910s
94 births
- 1920s 119
1920s
119 births
- 1930s 72
1930s
72 births
- 1940s 76
1940s
76 births
- 1950s 33
1950s
33 births
- 1960s 22
1960s
22 births
- 1970s 17
1970s
17 births
- 1980s 111
1980s
111 births
- 1990s 495
1990s
495 births
- 2000s
2000s
2,609 births
- 2010s
2010s
4,481 births
- 2020s
2020s
2,716 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 4,481 births (41% of all-time use).
How Boston 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 Boston's total volume
Boston by state
Where Boston concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Utah | | 1,578 | 14.5% |
| #2 | Texas | | 924 | 8.5% |
| #3 | California | | 638 | 5.9% |
| #4 | Oklahoma | | 526 | 4.8% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 427 | 3.9% |
| #6 | Indiana | | 318 | 2.9% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 291 | 2.7% |
| #8 | Missouri | | 291 | 2.7% |
1,578 of 10,901 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 44 reporting states.
Boston appears in 44 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Boston's data
- Boston's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (4,481 total births) through the 2020s (2,716) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Utah records the most Bostons (1,578 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Utah names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Boston
Nearby Names Like Boston
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Boston
Compare Boston side by side: Boston vs Boss Boston vs Bosco Boston vs Bostyn
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Boston
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Boston: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2014)
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 Boston 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.