Boys' name · since 1880
Carleton
4,839 babies named Carleton in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1923. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1,813 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 4,839
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
4,839 boys have been named Carleton since 1880, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.
Carleton has 4,839 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2023.
- #1,813 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 4,839 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Carleton ranks #1,813 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 4,839 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #1,813 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 4,839
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Carleton's 4,839 recorded births place it above 96.01% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
16 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Massachusetts.
Carleton's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Carleton splits its recorded history at 1948: 43% of all births land in the more recent half, 57% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1883 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1923 peak of 103 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Carleton popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2023
- Peak year (1923)
- 103
- Annual births at peak, across 144 years of records
Carleton by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (830 births, 17% of the file).
1920s was Carleton's strongest decade.
830 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Carleton births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 42
1880s
42 births
- 1890s 89
1890s
89 births
- 1900s 102
1900s
102 births
- 1910s
1910s
582 births
- 1920s
1920s
830 births
- 1930s
1930s
622 births
- 1940s
1940s
599 births
- 1950s
1950s
638 births
- 1960s
1960s
434 births
- 1970s
1970s
337 births
- 1980s 263
1980s
263 births
- 1990s 180
1990s
180 births
- 2000s 99
2000s
99 births
- 2010s 16
2010s
16 births
- 2020s 6
2020s
6 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 830 births (17% of all-time use).
How Carleton 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 Carleton's total volume
Carleton by state
Where Carleton concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Massachusetts | | 362 | 7.5% |
| #2 | New York | | 360 | 7.4% |
| #3 | Maine | | 313 | 6.5% |
| #4 | California | | 124 | 2.6% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 112 | 2.3% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 62 | 1.3% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 46 | 1.0% |
| #8 | Connecticut | | 38 | 0.8% |
362 of 4,839 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 16 reporting states.
Carleton appears in 16 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Carleton? ▼
Where does Carleton sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Carleton most popular? ▼
Where is Carleton most popular? ▼
How long has the name Carleton been used? ▼
What names are similar to Carleton? ▼
What to do with Carleton's data
- Carleton's decade-level peak was the 1920s (830 total births); usage has since declined to 6 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Massachusetts records the most Carletons (362 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Massachusetts names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Carleton
Nearby Names Like Carleton
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Carleton
Compare Carleton side by side: Carleton vs Carl Carleton vs Carlos Carleton vs Carter
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Carleton: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1923)
Similar record span (~143 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, 1880–2023 (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 Carleton 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.