US rank #1930 Boys' name Peak 1981 97,473 births

Clinton — #1930 US boys' name

97,473 babies named Clinton in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1981. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s8671890s8571900s11221910s53021920s84431930s67081940s77061950s93231960s102681970s163461980s175361990s79302000s25852010s19122020s568
#1930
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 86% of names given to boys today.

1980s
Peak decade

18% of everyone ever named Clinton was born in this single decade.

1981
Single peak year

2,206 babies were named Clinton in 1981 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Clinton

The Social Security Administration has registered 97,473 babies named Clinton between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Clinton currently holds the #1930 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1981, when 2,206 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Clinton performed strongest in the 1980s, accumulating 17,536 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Clinton shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in Texas, which accounts for 8,607 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by California and Georgia. In total, SSA state-level files list Clinton in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Clinton in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 97,473 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Clinton at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

97,473

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1981

2,206 births that year

Strongest decade: 1980s

Current rank

#1,930

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Clinton popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1981)
2,206
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-50005001,0001,5002,0002,500 202420051986196719481929191018911880 79

Clinton popularity over time — girls

438 total births recorded since 1918 (Clinton as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 438 births
05101520 199219821975196819571939192819191918 11

Clinton by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1980s
Peak decade
1980s
17,536 births that decade — 18% of Clinton's all-time total
1880s8671890s8571900s11221910s53021920s84431930s67081940s77061950s93231960s102681970s163461980s175361990s79302000s25852010s19122020s568

Clinton by state

Where Clinton concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Clinton
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Texas
8,607 8.8%
#2 California
5,818 6.0%
#3 Georgia
4,419 4.5%
#4 North Carolina
3,644 3.7%
#5 Florida
3,511 3.6%
#6 Ohio
3,377 3.5%
#7 Pennsylvania
3,367 3.5%
#8 Illinois
3,297 3.4%
Texas share of Clinton's total US births 8.8%
Even split

8,607 of 97,473 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Clinton appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Clinton?
97,473 babies have been named Clinton since 1880. It currently ranks #1930 among boys. The peak year was 1981 with 2,206 births.
When was Clinton most popular?
Clinton was most popular in the 1980s decade with 17,536 total births. The single peak year was 1981.
Where is Clinton most popular?
The top states for the name Clinton are Texas (8,607 births), California (5,818 births), Georgia (4,419 births).
How long has the name Clinton been used?
Clinton has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Clinton?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Clifford, Clifton, Clint, Cliff, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Clinton

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.