Girls' name · since 1920
Darling
1,045 babies named Darling in U.S. Social Security records since 1920, with the highest year being 2024. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #7,286 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #3,306 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,045
- born since 1920
- 2010s
- peak decade
1,045 babies have been named Darling since 1920, making it today's #3306 girls' name.
Darling has 1,045 recorded births among girls since 1920, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #3306 as of the latest data, more common than 81% of girls, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1920 to 2025.
- #7,286 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #3,306 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 1,045 born since 1920
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Darling ranks #7,286 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,306 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 1,045 born since 1920, peaking in the 2010s.
- #7,286 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #3,306 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,045
- born since 1920
- 2010s
- peak decade
Darling's 1,045 recorded births place it above 89.92% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 4 jurisdictions, led by California.
How Darling compares
1,045 Top 31% higher than 69% 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
Darling's all-time total is 178% above the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Darling | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,045 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 47 | 21 | 19,840 |
Darling's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Darling splits its recorded history at 1987: 71% of all births land in the more recent half, 29% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1931 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2024 peak of 47 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Darling popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1920–2025
- Peak year (2024)
- 47
- Annual births at peak, across 106 years of records
Darling popularity over time - boys
15 total births recorded since 1932 (Darling as boys' name)
Darling by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (228 births, 22% of the file).
2010s was Darling's strongest decade.
228 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Darling births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s 20
1920s
20 births
- 1930s 15
1930s
15 births
- 1940s 35
1940s
35 births
- 1950s 56
1950s
56 births
- 1960s 69
1960s
69 births
- 1970s 32
1970s
32 births
- 1980s
1980s
105 births
- 1990s
1990s
121 births
- 2000s
2000s
152 births
- 2010s
2010s
228 births
- 2020s
2020s
212 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 228 births (22% of all-time use).
How Darling 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 Darling's total volume
Darling by state
Where Darling concentrates geographically, total births since 1920
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 174 | 16.7% |
| #2 | Texas | | 25 | 2.4% |
| #3 | Florida | | 16 | 1.5% |
| #4 | New York | | 6 | 0.6% |
174 of 1,045 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 4 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Darling's data
- Darling's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (228 total births) through the 2020s (212) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Darlings (174 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Darling
Nearby Names Like Darling
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Darling
Compare Darling side by side: Darling vs Darlene Darling vs Darla Darling vs Darcy
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Darling
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Darling: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2024)
Similar record span (~105 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, 1920–2025 (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 Darling 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.