US rank #5047 Boys' name Peak 1925 22,464 births

Burton — #5047 US boys' name

22,464 babies named Burton in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1925. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s3481890s3131900s4041910s27411920s52251930s42731940s29601950s19981960s15601970s9811980s6741990s3232000s2502010s2782020s136
#5047
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 65% of names given to boys today.

1920s
Peak decade

23% of everyone ever named Burton was born in this single decade.

1925
Single peak year

597 babies were named Burton in 1925 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Burton

The Social Security Administration has registered 22,464 babies named Burton between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Burton currently holds the #5047 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1925, when 597 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Burton performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 5,225 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Burton shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 3,003 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Illinois and Pennsylvania. In total, SSA state-level files list Burton in 45 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Burton in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 22,464 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Burton at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

22,464

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1925

597 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#5,047

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Burton popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1925)
597
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-2000200400600800 202420051986196719481929191018911880 34

Burton popularity over time — girls

48 total births recorded since 1916 (Burton as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 48 births
4.555.566.577.5 196119321928192619231922192119181916 5

Burton by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
5,225 births that decade — 23% of Burton's all-time total
1880s3481890s3131900s4041910s27411920s52251930s42731940s29601950s19981960s15601970s9811980s6741990s3232000s2502010s2782020s136

Burton by state

Where Burton concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Burton
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
3,003 13.4%
#2 Illinois
1,396 6.2%
#3 Pennsylvania
1,278 5.7%
#4 California
1,078 4.8%
#5 Michigan
1,052 4.7%
#6 Minnesota
784 3.5%
#7 Massachusetts
777 3.5%
#8 Ohio
712 3.2%
New York share of Burton's total US births 13.4%
Even split

3,003 of 22,464 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 45 reporting states.

Burton appears in 45 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Burton?
22,464 babies have been named Burton since 1880. It currently ranks #5047 among boys. The peak year was 1925 with 597 births.
When was Burton most popular?
Burton was most popular in the 1920s decade with 5,225 total births. The single peak year was 1925.
Where is Burton most popular?
The top states for the name Burton are New York (3,003 births), Illinois (1,396 births), Pennsylvania (1,278 births).
How long has the name Burton been used?
Burton has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Burton?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Burl, Burt, Burke, Burnell, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.