Unisex name · since 1973

Bristol

Bristol has 11,043 recorded births since 1973 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2019 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#1,565 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#728 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
11,043
born since 1973
2010s
peak decade

11,043 babies have been named Bristol since 1973, making it today's #728 unisex name.

Bristol has 11,043 recorded births among girls since 1973, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #728 as of the latest data, more common than 96% of girls, 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 1973 to 2025.

  • #1,565 of 72,339 all-time among girls
  • #728 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
  • 11,043 born since 1973
  • 2010s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bristol ranks #1,565 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #728 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 11,043 born since 1973, peaking in the 2010s.

#1,565 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#728 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
11,043
born since 1973
2010s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%95.7%
Bristol vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Bristol's 11,043 recorded births place it above 97.83% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.

46 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

46 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.

How Bristol compares

11,043 Top 9% higher than 91% of 17,297 names currently given to girls

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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

Bristol's all-time total is 29x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Bristol Median girls name (Kyann) #1 girls name (Olivia)
All-time total births 11,043 376 567,345
Peak-year births 788 21 19,840

Bristol's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Bristol splits its recorded history at 2004: 97% of all births land in the more recent half, 3% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1973 (6 births) -- compare that against the 2019 peak of 788 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Bristol popularity over time - girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1973–2025

Top 1,000 girls' name
Peak year (2019)
788
Annual births at peak, across 53 years of records
02004006008001,000 197319871993200020062012201820242025 382

Bristol popularity over time - boys

573 total births recorded since 1915 (Bristol as boys' name)

Unisex variant - 573 births
01020304050 19151972199019982005201220192025 8

Bristol by decade

2010s is the heaviest window (6,767 births, 61% of the file).

2010s was Bristol's strongest decade.

6,767 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 61% of all-time use.

Bristol births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2010s at 6,767 births (61% of all-time use).

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

How Bristol compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Bristol's total volume

Bristol vs 15 similarly-sized girls names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8%10% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -146, 1.8%-39, 7.5%-85, 6.5%-61, 4.5%-55, 4.4%-47, 8.2%-146, 3.2%-58, 5.2%-36, 8.2%-130, 1.6%-35, 6.7%-145, 2%-28, 8.3%-65, 3.9%-112, 3.4%Bristol-53, 7.1%Bristol
Bristol vs 15 similarly-sized girls names

Bristol by state

Where Bristol concentrates geographically, total births since 1973

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Bristol
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Texas
794 7.2%
#2 Ohio
586 5.3%
#3 North Carolina
563 5.1%
#4 Florida
492 4.5%
#5 Georgia
466 4.2%
#6 Indiana
458 4.1%
#7 California
442 4.0%
#8 Tennessee
393 3.6%
Texas share of Bristol's total US births 7.2%
Even split

794 of 11,043 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 46 reporting states.

Bristol appears in 46 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Bristol?
Bristol has been given to 11,043 babies in the U.S. since 1973, according to SSA data. Its archive ordinal is #1,565 of 72,339 among girls' names (total births, highest first). Among girls in 2025, it is #728 of 17,297. 788 babies were born in 2019, its single highest year.
Where does Bristol sit in the SSA name archive?
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bristol ranks #1,565 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #728 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Bristol most popular?
Bristol was most popular in the 2010s decade with 6,767 total births. The single peak year was 2019.
Where is Bristol most popular?
The top states for the name Bristol are Texas (794 births), Ohio (586 births), North Carolina (563 births).
Is Bristol a unisex name?
Yes, Bristol is used for both boys and girls. As a girl's name it has 11,043 births, and as a boy's name it has 573 births.
How long has the name Bristol been used?
Bristol has been recorded in Social Security data since 1973, spanning 53 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Bristol?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Brittany, Brianna, Briana, Bridget, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

What to do with Bristol's data

  • Bristol's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (6,767 total births) through the 2020s (3,340) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • Texas records the most Bristols (794 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Bristol

Nearby Names Like Bristol

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

Names with a similar popularity rank to Bristol

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Bristol: 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, 1973–2025 (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 Bristol 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.