Boys' name · since 1880
Curtis
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 260,554 babies named Curtis, peaking in 1962. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #145 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #984 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 260,554
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
Yes -- Curtis is the #984 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 260,554 recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Curtis has been recorded 260,554 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #984 nationally and more common than 93% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1960s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #145 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #984 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 260,554 born since 1880
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Curtis ranks #145 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #984 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 260,554 born since 1880, peaking in the 1960s.
- #145 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #984 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 260,554
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
Curtis's 260,554 recorded births place it above 99.68% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Curtis compares
260,554 Top 2% higher than 98% 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
Curtis's all-time total is 706x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Curtis | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 260,554 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 5,569 | 34 | 22,252 |
Curtis's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Curtis's full recorded timeline at 1953, 68% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 32% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1883, with just 53 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1962 peak of 5,569 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Curtis popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1962)
- 5,569
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Curtis popularity over time - girls
2,322 total births recorded since 1894 (Curtis as girls' name)
Curtis by decade
1960s is the heaviest window (47,244 births, 18% of the file).
1960s was Curtis's strongest decade.
47,244 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 18% of all-time use.
Curtis births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 695
1880s
695 births
- 1890s 928
1890s
928 births
- 1900s 1,683
1900s
1,683 births
- 1910s 8,911
1910s
8,911 births
- 1920s 16,138
1920s
16,138 births
- 1930s 18,008
1930s
18,008 births
- 1940s
1940s
26,009 births
- 1950s
1950s
46,324 births
- 1960s
1960s
47,244 births
- 1970s
1970s
28,808 births
- 1980s
1980s
29,910 births
- 1990s
1990s
19,205 births
- 2000s 9,650
2000s
9,650 births
- 2010s 5,323
2010s
5,323 births
- 2020s 1,718
2020s
1,718 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 47,244 births (18% of all-time use).
How Curtis 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 Curtis's total volume
Curtis by state
Where Curtis concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 18,711 | 7.2% |
| #2 | California | | 16,780 | 6.4% |
| #3 | Georgia | | 11,214 | 4.3% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 11,122 | 4.3% |
| #5 | North Carolina | | 10,661 | 4.1% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 10,208 | 3.9% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 9,873 | 3.8% |
| #8 | Alabama | | 9,482 | 3.6% |
18,711 of 260,554 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Curtis appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Curtis? ▼
Where does Curtis sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Curtis most popular? ▼
Where is Curtis most popular? ▼
How long has the name Curtis been used? ▼
What names are similar to Curtis? ▼
What to do with Curtis's data
- Curtis's decade-level peak was the 1960s (47,244 total births); usage has since declined to 1,718 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Curtiss (18,711 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 Curtis
Nearby Names Like Curtis
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Curtis
Compare Curtis side by side: Curtis vs Curt Curtis vs Curtiss Curtis vs Curley
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Curtis
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Curtis: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1962)
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 Curtis 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.