Total births
507
Boys' name · since 1918
Cotton
Cotton has 507 recorded births since 1918 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2015 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #8398
- among boys today
- 507
- born since 1918
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 41%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Cotton is the #8398 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 507 recorded since 1918.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cotton has been recorded 507 times among boys since 1918, currently ranked #8398 nationally and more common than 41% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1918 to 2025.
- #8398 among boys today
- 507 born since 1918
- 2010s peak decade
- 41% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Cotton is currently the #8398 boys' name in America, more common than 41% of boys - 507 born since 1918, peaking in the 2010s.
- #8398
- among boys today
- 507
- born since 1918
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 41%
- more common than other boys
Cotton vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#8398
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 41% of names given to boys today.
2010s
Peak decade
41% of everyone ever named Cotton was born in this single decade.
2015
Single peak year
31 babies were named Cotton in 2015 - its busiest year on record.
How Cotton compares
507 Top 43% higher than 57% of 14,294 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
Cotton's all-time total is 38% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Cotton | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 507 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 31 | 23 | 22,252 |
Cotton's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Cotton's full recorded timeline at 2005, 69% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 31% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1918, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2015 peak of 31 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Cotton at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2015
Current rank
#8,398
Active since
1918
Cotton popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1918–2025
- Peak year (2015)
- 31
- Annual births at peak, across 108 years of records
Cotton by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Cotton's strongest decade.
210 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 41% of all-time use.
Cotton births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 5
1910s
5 births
- 1970s 11
1970s
11 births
- 1980s 32
1980s
32 births
- 1990s 76
1990s
76 births
- 2000s
2000s
104 births
- 2010s
2010s
210 births
- 2020s 69
2020s
69 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 210 births (41% of all-time use).
How Cotton 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 Cotton's total volume
Cotton vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Cotton by state
Where Cotton concentrates geographically, total births since 1918
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 25 | 4.9% |
Texas share of Cotton's total US births 4.9%
25 of 507 births nationwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Cotton? ▼
507 babies have been named Cotton since 1918. It currently ranks #8398 among boys. The peak year was 2015 with 31 births.
When was Cotton most popular? ▼
Cotton was most popular in the 2010s decade with 210 total births. The single peak year was 2015.
Where is Cotton most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Cotton are Texas (25 births).
How long has the name Cotton been used? ▼
Cotton has been recorded in Social Security data since 1918, spanning 108 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Cotton? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Coty, Cote, Cottrell, Cotey, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Cotton's data
- Cotton's decade-level peak was the 2010s (210 total births); usage has since declined to 69 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Cottons (25 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Cotton
Nearby Names Like Cotton
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cotton
Coty Boy
#9137 5,525 births
Cote Boy
163 births
Cottrell Boy
141 births
Cotey Boy
141 births
Cotter Boy
51 births
Compare Cotton side by side: Cotton vs Coty Cotton vs Cote Cotton vs Cottrell
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cotton
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1918–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Cotton: #8398 Boys' Name - 507 Births, Peak 2015." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/cotton. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Cotton 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 June 2026.