Total births
554
Boys' name · since 1970
Can
Can has 554 recorded births since 1970 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2018 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #4353
- among boys today
- 554
- born since 1970
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 70%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Can is the #4353 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 554 recorded since 1970.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Can has been recorded 554 times among boys since 1970, currently ranked #4353 nationally and more common than 70% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1970 to 2025.
- #4353 among boys today
- 554 born since 1970
- 2010s peak decade
- 70% more common than other boys
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
Can is currently the #4353 boys' name in America, more common than 70% of boys - 554 born since 1970, peaking in the 2010s.
- #4353
- among boys today
- 554
- born since 1970
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 70%
- more common than other boys
Can vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#4353
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 70% of names given to boys today.
2010s
Peak decade
37% of everyone ever named Can was born in this single decade.
2018
Single peak year
30 babies were named Can in 2018 - its busiest year on record.
How Can compares
554 Top 41% higher than 59% of 14,294 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
Can's all-time total is 51% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Can | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 554 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 30 | 23 | 22,252 |
Can's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Can splits its recorded history at 2004: 68% of all births land in the more recent half, 32% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1970 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2018 peak of 30 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Can at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2018
Current rank
#4,353
Active since
1970
Can popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1970–2025
- Peak year (2018)
- 30
- Annual births at peak, across 56 years of records
Can by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Can's strongest decade.
203 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 37% of all-time use.
Can births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 12
1970s
12 births
- 1980s 33
1980s
33 births
- 1990s
1990s
85 births
- 2000s
2000s
121 births
- 2010s
2010s
203 births
- 2020s
2020s
100 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 203 births (37% of all-time use).
How Can 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 Can's total volume
Can vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Can by state
Where Can concentrates geographically, total births since 1970
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 53 | 9.6% |
| #2 | Florida | | 35 | 6.3% |
| #3 | New York | | 11 | 2.0% |
California share of Can's total US births 9.6%
Even split
53 of 554 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 3 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Can? ▼
Can has been given to 554 babies in the U.S. since 1970, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #4353 as of the latest data. 30 babies were born in 2018, its single highest year.
When was Can most popular? ▼
Can was most popular in the 2010s decade with 203 total births. The single peak year was 2018.
Where is Can most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Can are California (53 births), Florida (35 births), New York (11 births).
How long has the name Can been used? ▼
Can has been recorded in Social Security data since 1970, spanning 56 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Can? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Cannon, Canaan, Canyon, Canon, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Can's data
- Can's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (203 total births) through the 2020s (100) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Cans (53 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Can
Nearby Names Like Can
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Can
Cannon Boy
#763 10,978 births
Canaan Boy
#1084 5,843 births
Canyon Boy
#1427 3,827 births
Canon Boy
#1927 2,751 births
Candelario Boy
2,319 births
Compare Can side by side: Can vs Cannon Can vs Canaan Can vs Canyon
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Can
Data Sources
Data as of July 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, 1970–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Can: #4353 Boys' Name - 554 Births, Peak 2018." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/can. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Can 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 July 2026.