Boys' name · since 1880
David
David has 3,676,654 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1955 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #6 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #35 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 3,676,654
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
David currently ranks #35 among boys' names in America, with 3,676,654 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, David has been recorded 3,676,654 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #35 nationally and more common than 99.7% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1950s. 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.
- #6 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #35 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 3,676,654 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, David ranks #6 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #35 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 3,676,654 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #6 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #35 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 3,676,654
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
David's 3,676,654 recorded births place it above 99.98% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How David compares
3,676,654 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
David's all-time total is 9,964x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | David | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 3,676,654 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 86,306 | 34 | 22,252 |
David's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide David's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 74% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 26%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1899, with only 646 births recorded -- set against the 1955 peak of 86,306, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
David popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1955)
- 86,306
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
David popularity over time - girls
12,959 total births recorded since 1883 (David as girls' name)
David by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (769,963 births, 21% of the file).
1950s was David's strongest decade.
769,963 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
David births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 7,569
1880s
7,569 births
- 1890s 7,333
1890s
7,333 births
- 1900s 8,619
1900s
8,619 births
- 1910s 43,853
1910s
43,853 births
- 1920s 88,736
1920s
88,736 births
- 1930s 164,701
1930s
164,701 births
- 1940s
1940s
426,372 births
- 1950s
1950s
769,963 births
- 1960s
1960s
733,953 births
- 1970s
1970s
445,704 births
- 1980s
1980s
383,687 births
- 1990s 253,711
1990s
253,711 births
- 2000s 180,098
2000s
180,098 births
- 2010s 116,740
2010s
116,740 births
- 2020s 45,615
2020s
45,615 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 769,963 births (21% of all-time use).
How David 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 David's total volume
David by state
Where David concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 378,808 | 10.3% |
| #2 | New York | | 284,489 | 7.7% |
| #3 | Texas | | 231,913 | 6.3% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 223,324 | 6.1% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 205,131 | 5.6% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 186,067 | 5.1% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 167,117 | 4.5% |
| #8 | Massachusetts | | 115,997 | 3.2% |
378,808 of 3,676,654 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
David appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name David? ▼
Where does David sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was David most popular? ▼
Where is David most popular? ▼
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What to do with David's data
- David's decade-level peak was the 1950s (769,963 total births); usage has since declined to 45,615 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Davids (378,808 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 David
Nearby Names Like David
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to David
Compare David side by side: David vs Dave David vs Davis David vs Davon
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to David
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for David: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1955)
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 David 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.