Boys' name · since 1880
Calvin
Calvin has 221,064 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1924 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #172 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #132 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 221,064
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Calvin currently ranks #132 among boys' names in America, with 221,064 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Calvin recorded 221,064 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #132 nationally today, ahead of 99.1% of boys, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #172 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #132 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 221,064 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Calvin ranks #172 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #132 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 221,064 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #172 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #132 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 221,064
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Calvin's 221,064 recorded births place it above 99.62% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Calvin compares
221,064 Top 2% higher than 98% 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
Calvin's all-time total is 599x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Calvin | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 221,064 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 4,918 | 34 | 22,252 |
Calvin's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Calvin splits its recorded history at 1953: 66% of all births land in the more recent half, 34% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1894 (95 births) -- compare that against the 1924 peak of 4,918 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Calvin popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1924)
- 4,918
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Calvin popularity over time - girls
1,223 total births recorded since 1914 (Calvin as girls' name)
Calvin by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (30,555 births, 14% of the file).
1950s was Calvin's strongest decade.
30,555 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 14% of all-time use.
Calvin births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,236
1880s
1,236 births
- 1890s 1,102
1890s
1,102 births
- 1900s 1,291
1900s
1,291 births
- 1910s 5,713
1910s
5,713 births
- 1920s
1920s
24,785 births
- 1930s
1930s
14,177 births
- 1940s
1940s
19,242 births
- 1950s
1950s
30,555 births
- 1960s
1960s
21,889 births
- 1970s
1970s
13,809 births
- 1980s
1980s
15,785 births
- 1990s
1990s
16,865 births
- 2000s
2000s
16,111 births
- 2010s
2010s
23,085 births
- 2020s
2020s
15,419 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 30,555 births (14% of all-time use).
How Calvin 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 Calvin's total volume
Calvin by state
Where Calvin concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 13,749 | 6.2% |
| #2 | Texas | | 13,487 | 6.1% |
| #3 | Georgia | | 10,342 | 4.7% |
| #4 | New York | | 9,611 | 4.3% |
| #5 | North Carolina | | 9,577 | 4.3% |
| #6 | Virginia | | 8,740 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 8,619 | 3.9% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 8,278 | 3.7% |
13,749 of 221,064 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Calvin appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Calvin's data
- Calvin's usage has stayed within range of its 1950s decade-level peak (30,555 total births) through the 2020s (15,419) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Calvins (13,749 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Calvin
Nearby Names Like Calvin
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Calvin
Compare Calvin side by side: Calvin vs Caleb Calvin vs Callum Calvin vs Callan
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Calvin
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Calvin: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1924)
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 Calvin 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.