Boys' name · since 1880
Cleveland
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 21,945 babies named Cleveland, peaking in 1947. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #796 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #7,197 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 21,945
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Yes -- Cleveland is the #7197 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 21,945 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Cleveland recorded 21,945 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #7197 nationally today, ahead of 48% of boys, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #796 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #7,197 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 21,945 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cleveland ranks #796 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,197 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 21,945 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #796 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #7,197 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 21,945
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Cleveland's 21,945 recorded births place it above 98.24% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
25 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Louisiana.
How Cleveland compares
21,945 Top 6% higher than 94% 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
Cleveland's all-time total is 59x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Cleveland | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 21,945 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 360 | 34 | 22,252 |
Cleveland's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Cleveland splits its recorded history at 1953: 38% of all births land in the more recent half, 62% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1880 (11 births) -- compare that against the 1947 peak of 360 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Cleveland popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1947)
- 360
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Cleveland popularity over time - girls
87 total births recorded since 1922 (Cleveland as girls' name)
Cleveland by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (3,183 births, 15% of the file).
1920s was Cleveland's strongest decade.
3,183 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 15% of all-time use.
Cleveland births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 702
1880s
702 births
- 1890s 524
1890s
524 births
- 1900s 553
1900s
553 births
- 1910s
1910s
2,219 births
- 1920s
1920s
3,183 births
- 1930s
1930s
2,480 births
- 1940s
1940s
2,970 births
- 1950s
1950s
3,069 births
- 1960s
1960s
2,055 births
- 1970s
1970s
1,498 births
- 1980s 1,107
1980s
1,107 births
- 1990s 743
1990s
743 births
- 2000s 474
2000s
474 births
- 2010s 280
2010s
280 births
- 2020s 88
2020s
88 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 3,183 births (15% of all-time use).
How Cleveland 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 Cleveland's total volume
Cleveland by state
Where Cleveland concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Louisiana | | 1,990 | 9.1% |
| #2 | Georgia | | 1,972 | 9.0% |
| #3 | North Carolina | | 1,661 | 7.6% |
| #4 | South Carolina | | 1,655 | 7.5% |
| #5 | Alabama | | 1,636 | 7.5% |
| #6 | Mississippi | | 1,606 | 7.3% |
| #7 | Florida | | 1,166 | 5.3% |
| #8 | Texas | | 1,032 | 4.7% |
1,990 of 21,945 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 25 reporting states.
Cleveland appears in 25 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Cleveland? ▼
Where does Cleveland sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Cleveland most popular? ▼
Where is Cleveland most popular? ▼
How long has the name Cleveland been used? ▼
What names are similar to Cleveland? ▼
What to do with Cleveland's data
- Cleveland's decade-level peak was the 1920s (3,183 total births); usage has since declined to 88 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Louisiana records the most Clevelands (1,990 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Louisiana names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Cleveland
Nearby Names Like Cleveland
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cleveland
Compare Cleveland side by side: Cleveland vs Clement Cleveland vs Cleo Cleveland vs Cletus
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cleveland
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Cleveland: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1947)
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 Cleveland 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.