Boys' name · since 1881

Brown

1,477 babies named Brown in U.S. Social Security records since 1881, with the highest year being 1918. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#3,992 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#7,691 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
1,477
born since 1881
1910s
peak decade

Yes -- Brown is the #7691 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 1,477 recorded since 1881.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Brown has been recorded 1,477 times among boys since 1881, currently ranked #7691 nationally and more common than 45% 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 1881 to 2025.

  • #3,992 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #7,691 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 1,477 born since 1881
  • 1910s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Brown ranks #3,992 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,691 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,477 born since 1881, peaking in the 1910s.

#3,992 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#7,691 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
1,477
born since 1881
1910s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%44.7%
Brown vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Above the archive median
All-time archive position

Brown's 1,477 recorded births place it above 91.21% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

9 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

9 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Tennessee.

How Brown compares

1,477 Top 26% higher than 74% 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

Brown's all-time total is 4x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Brown Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 1,477 369 358,536
Peak-year births 55 34 22,252

Brown's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Brown's SSA record in two at 1932 and the more recent half accounts for 38% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 62%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1890, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1918 peak of 55, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Brown popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1881–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1918)
55
Annual births at peak, across 145 years of records
0204060 188118961910192319361949196220082025 10

Brown popularity over time - girls

5 total births recorded since 1983 (Brown as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 5 births
5 1983 5

Brown by decade

1910s is the heaviest window (320 births, 22% of the file).

1910s was Brown's strongest decade.

320 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.

Brown births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1910s at 320 births (22% of all-time use).

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

How Brown 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 Brown's total volume

Brown vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15% 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 -102, 4.2%-74, 8.8%-29, 6%-34, 13%-56, 4.5%-114, 3.2%-49, 5.2%-41, 5.8%-34, 7.8%-114, 2.6%-40, 5.7%-115, 1.8%-73, 5.7%-49, 6.1%-30, 6.6%Brown-145, 3.7%Brown
Brown vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Brown by state

Where Brown concentrates geographically, total births since 1881

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Brown
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Tennessee
82 5.6%
#2 Kentucky
37 2.5%
#3 Georgia
34 2.3%
#4 North Carolina
29 2.0%
#5 Mississippi
28 1.9%
#6 Alabama
17 1.2%
#7 South Carolina
16 1.1%
#8 Virginia
6 0.4%
Tennessee share of Brown's total US births 5.6%
Even split

82 of 1,477 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 9 reporting states.

Brown appears in 9 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Brown? ▼
Brown has been given to 1,477 babies in the U.S. since 1881, according to SSA data. Its archive ordinal is #3,992 of 45,481 among boys' names (total births, highest first). Among boys in 2025, it is #7,691 of 13,930. 55 babies were born in 1918, its single highest year.
Where does Brown sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Brown ranks #3,992 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,691 of 13,930 among boys' 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 Brown most popular? ▼
Brown was most popular in the 1910s decade with 320 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Brown most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Brown are Tennessee (82 births), Kentucky (37 births), Georgia (34 births).
How long has the name Brown been used? ▼
Records for Brown go back to 1881, giving 145 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Brown? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Brody, Brooks, Brock, Brodie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Brown's data

  • Brown's decade-level peak was the 1910s (320 total births); usage has since declined to 31 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • Tennessee records the most Browns (82 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Tennessee names

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

Keep exploring Brown

Nearby Names Like Brown

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

Brody Boy
#236 81,678 births
Brooks Boy
#64 57,946 births
Brock Boy
#811 43,540 births
Brodie Boy
#1039 11,391 births
Bronson Boy
#1049 10,693 births

Compare Brown side by side: Brown vs Brody Brown vs Brooks Brown vs Brock

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Brown

Knute #7690
691 births · Peak 1931
Antone #7692
5,967 births · Peak 1921
Artie #7689
4,417 births · Peak 1959
Kay #7693
3,924 births · Peak 1934
Mitchel #7688
13,287 births · Peak 1994
Matthews #7694
1,605 births · Peak 1988
Huston #7687
2,714 births · Peak 1922
Rance #7695
3,002 births · Peak 1962

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Brown: 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, 1881–2025 (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 Brown 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.