Unisex name · since 1936
Darby
Darby has 8,338 recorded births since 1936 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1995 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1,865 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,572 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 8,338
- born since 1936
- 1990s
- peak decade
8,338 babies have been named Darby since 1936, making it today's #2572 unisex name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Darby has been recorded 8,338 times among girls since 1936, currently ranked #2572 nationally and more common than 85% of girls, 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 1936 to 2025.
- #1,865 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #2,572 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 8,338 born since 1936
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Darby ranks #1,865 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,572 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 8,338 born since 1936, peaking in the 1990s.
- #1,865 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,572 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 8,338
- born since 1936
- 1990s
- peak decade
Darby's 8,338 recorded births place it above 97.42% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
38 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Darby compares
8,338 Top 11% higher than 89% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Darby's all-time total is 22x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Darby | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 8,338 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 491 | 21 | 19,840 |
Darby's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Darby's SSA record in two at 1982 and the more recent half accounts for 80% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 20%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1936, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1995 peak of 491, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Darby popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1936–2025
- Peak year (1995)
- 491
- Annual births at peak, across 90 years of records
Darby popularity over time - boys
2,940 total births recorded since 1913 (Darby as boys' name)
Darby by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (2,599 births, 31% of the file).
1990s was Darby's strongest decade.
2,599 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 31% of all-time use.
Darby births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1930s 13
1930s
13 births
- 1940s 176
1940s
176 births
- 1950s 276
1950s
276 births
- 1960s 444
1960s
444 births
- 1970s 616
1970s
616 births
- 1980s 666
1980s
666 births
- 1990s
1990s
2,599 births
- 2000s
2000s
1,948 births
- 2010s
2010s
1,162 births
- 2020s 438
2020s
438 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 2,599 births (31% of all-time use).
How Darby compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Darby's total volume
Darby by state
Where Darby concentrates geographically, total births since 1936
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 646 | 7.7% |
| #2 | California | | 546 | 6.5% |
| #3 | Florida | | 378 | 4.5% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 253 | 3.0% |
| #5 | Georgia | | 221 | 2.7% |
| #6 | Tennessee | | 201 | 2.4% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 191 | 2.3% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 182 | 2.2% |
646 of 8,338 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 38 reporting states.
Darby appears in 38 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Darby? ▼
Where does Darby sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Darby most popular? ▼
Where is Darby most popular? ▼
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What to do with Darby's data
- Darby's decade-level peak was the 1990s (2,599 total births); usage has since declined to 438 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Darbys (646 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 Darby
Nearby Names Like Darby
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Darby
Compare Darby side by side: Darby vs Darlene Darby vs Darla Darby vs Darcy
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Darby
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Darby: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1995)
Similar record span (~89 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, 1936–2025 (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 Darby 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.