Unisex name · since 1918
Cantrell
Since 1918, U.S. Social Security records show 422 babies named Cantrell, peaking in 1979. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #8,743 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 422
- born since 1918
- 1990s
- peak decade
422 boys have been named Cantrell since 1918, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.
Cantrell has 422 recorded births among boys since 1918, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1918 to 2021.
- #8,743 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 422 born since 1918
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cantrell ranks #8,743 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 422 born since 1918, peaking in the 1990s.
- #8,743 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 422
- born since 1918
- 1990s
- peak decade
Cantrell's 422 recorded births place it above 80.75% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
Cantrell's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Cantrell's full recorded timeline at 1993, 50% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 50% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1973, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1979 peak of 18 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Cantrell popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1918–2021
- Peak year (1979)
- 18
- Annual births at peak, across 104 years of records
Cantrell popularity over time - girls
65 total births recorded since 1969 (Cantrell as girls' name)
Cantrell by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (108 births, 26% of the file).
1990s was Cantrell's strongest decade.
108 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Cantrell births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 7
1910s
7 births
- 1940s 6
1940s
6 births
- 1960s 7
1960s
7 births
- 1970s
1970s
76 births
- 1980s
1980s
79 births
- 1990s
1990s
108 births
- 2000s
2000s
95 births
- 2010s 33
2010s
33 births
- 2020s 11
2020s
11 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 108 births (26% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Cantrell's data
- Cantrell's decade-level peak was the 1990s (108 total births); usage has since declined to 11 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Cantrell
Nearby Names Like Cantrell
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cantrell
Compare Cantrell side by side: Cantrell vs Cannon Cantrell vs Canaan Cantrell vs Canyon
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Cantrell: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1979)
Similar record span (~103 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, 1918–2021 (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 Cantrell 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.