Boys' name · since 1904
Cordell
Cordell has 10,840 recorded births since 1904 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1998 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1,154 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,978 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 10,840
- born since 1904
- 1990s
- peak decade
Yes -- Cordell is the #1978 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 10,840 recorded since 1904.
Cordell has 10,840 recorded births among boys since 1904, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1978 as of the latest data, more common than 86% of boys, 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 1904 to 2025.
- #1,154 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,978 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 10,840 born since 1904
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cordell ranks #1,154 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,978 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 10,840 born since 1904, peaking in the 1990s.
- #1,154 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,978 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 10,840
- born since 1904
- 1990s
- peak decade
Cordell's 10,840 recorded births place it above 97.46% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
41 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Illinois.
How Cordell compares
10,840 Top 9% higher than 91% 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
Cordell's all-time total is 29x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Cordell | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 10,840 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 387 | 34 | 22,252 |
Cordell's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Cordell's SSA record in two at 1967 and the more recent half accounts for 78% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 22%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1904, with only 6 births recorded -- set against the 1998 peak of 387, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Cordell popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1904–2025
- Peak year (1998)
- 387
- Annual births at peak, across 122 years of records
Cordell popularity over time - girls
148 total births recorded since 1903 (Cordell as girls' name)
Cordell by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (2,423 births, 22% of the file).
1990s was Cordell's strongest decade.
2,423 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Cordell births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 19
1900s
19 births
- 1910s 167
1910s
167 births
- 1920s 263
1920s
263 births
- 1930s 366
1930s
366 births
- 1940s 579
1940s
579 births
- 1950s 560
1950s
560 births
- 1960s 702
1960s
702 births
- 1970s 838
1970s
838 births
- 1980s
1980s
1,317 births
- 1990s
1990s
2,423 births
- 2000s
2000s
1,961 births
- 2010s
2010s
1,151 births
- 2020s 494
2020s
494 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 2,423 births (22% of all-time use).
How Cordell 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 Cordell's total volume
Cordell by state
Where Cordell concentrates geographically, total births since 1904
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Illinois | | 772 | 7.1% |
| #2 | Texas | | 471 | 4.3% |
| #3 | Tennessee | | 445 | 4.1% |
| #4 | California | | 430 | 4.0% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 397 | 3.7% |
| #6 | New York | | 367 | 3.4% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 354 | 3.3% |
| #8 | Florida | | 346 | 3.2% |
772 of 10,840 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 41 reporting states.
Cordell appears in 41 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Cordell? ▼
Where does Cordell sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Cordell most popular? ▼
Where is Cordell most popular? ▼
How long has the name Cordell been used? ▼
What names are similar to Cordell? ▼
What to do with Cordell's data
- Cordell's decade-level peak was the 1990s (2,423 total births); usage has since declined to 494 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Illinois records the most Cordells (772 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Illinois names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Cordell
Nearby Names Like Cordell
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cordell
Compare Cordell side by side: Cordell vs Corey Cordell vs Cory Cordell vs Corbin
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cordell
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Cordell: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1998)
Similar record span (~121 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, 1904–2025 (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 Cordell 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.