Boys' name · since 1913
Cortland
Cortland has 2,145 recorded births since 1913 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2011 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #3,158 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,967 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 2,145
- born since 1913
- 1990s
- peak decade
Yes -- Cortland is the #3967 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 2,145 recorded since 1913.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cortland has been recorded 2,145 times among boys since 1913, currently ranked #3967 nationally and more common than 72% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1990s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1913 to 2025.
- #3,158 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #3,967 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 2,145 born since 1913
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cortland ranks #3,158 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,967 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 2,145 born since 1913, peaking in the 1990s.
- #3,158 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,967 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 2,145
- born since 1913
- 1990s
- peak decade
Cortland's 2,145 recorded births place it above 93.05% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
11 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Cortland compares
2,145 Top 21% higher than 79% 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
Cortland's all-time total is 6x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Cortland | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 2,145 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 62 | 34 | 22,252 |
Cortland's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Cortland's full recorded timeline at 1971, 77% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 23% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1913, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2011 peak of 62 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Cortland popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1913–2025
- Peak year (2011)
- 62
- Annual births at peak, across 113 years of records
Cortland popularity over time - girls
49 total births recorded since 1994 (Cortland as girls' name)
Cortland by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (493 births, 23% of the file).
1990s was Cortland's strongest decade.
493 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.
Cortland births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 73
1910s
73 births
- 1920s 73
1920s
73 births
- 1930s 68
1930s
68 births
- 1940s 87
1940s
87 births
- 1950s 84
1950s
84 births
- 1960s 89
1960s
89 births
- 1970s 86
1970s
86 births
- 1980s 195
1980s
195 births
- 1990s
1990s
493 births
- 2000s
2000s
327 births
- 2010s
2010s
420 births
- 2020s 150
2020s
150 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 493 births (23% of all-time use).
How Cortland 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 Cortland's total volume
Cortland by state
Where Cortland concentrates geographically, total births since 1913
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 69 | 3.2% |
| #2 | Tennessee | | 28 | 1.3% |
| #3 | California | | 23 | 1.1% |
| #4 | New York | | 19 | 0.9% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 10 | 0.5% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 5 | 0.2% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 5 | 0.2% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 5 | 0.2% |
69 of 2,145 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 11 reporting states.
Cortland appears in 11 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Cortland? ▼
Where does Cortland sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Cortland most popular? ▼
Where is Cortland most popular? ▼
How long has the name Cortland been used? ▼
What names are similar to Cortland? ▼
What to do with Cortland's data
- Cortland's decade-level peak was the 1990s (493 total births); usage has since declined to 150 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Cortlands (69 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Cortland
Nearby Names Like Cortland
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cortland
Compare Cortland side by side: Cortland vs Corey Cortland vs Cory Cortland vs Corbin
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cortland
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Cortland: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2011)
Similar record span (~112 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, 1913–2025 (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 Cortland 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.