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.
- #7,412 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #7,309 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 554
- born since 1970
- 2010s
- peak decade
Yes -- Can is the #7309 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 #7309 nationally and more common than 48% 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.
- #7,412 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #7,309 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 554 born since 1970
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Can ranks #7,412 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,309 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 554 born since 1970, peaking in the 2010s.
- #7,412 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #7,309 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 554
- born since 1970
- 2010s
- peak decade
Can's 554 recorded births place it above 83.67% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 3 jurisdictions, led by California.
How Can compares
554 Top 42% higher than 58% 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
Can's all-time total is 50% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Can | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 554 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 30 | 34 | 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 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
2010s is the heaviest window (203 births, 37% of the file).
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 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% |
53 of 554 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 3 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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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
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
Compare Can side by side: Can vs Cannon Can vs Canaan Can vs Canyon
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Can
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Can: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2018)
Similar record span (~55 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, 1970–2025 (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 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 August 2026.