Boys' name · since 1916

Decatur

Decatur has 54 recorded births since 1916 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1945 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#21,628 of 45,481
all-time among boys
54
born since 1916
1920s
peak decade

Decatur is not among the current top-ranked boys names; 54 have been recorded since 1916.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Decatur has been recorded 54 times among boys since 1916, though it is not among the currently most-used boys names, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1916 to 2017.

  • #21,628 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • 54 born since 1916
  • 1920s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Decatur ranks #21,628 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 54 born since 1916, peaking in the 1920s.

#21,628 of 45,481
all-time among boys
54
born since 1916
1920s
peak decade
Below the archive median
All-time archive position

Decatur's 54 recorded births place it above 52.24% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

National only
State-record footprint

No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.

Decatur's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Decatur's full recorded timeline at 1933, 54% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 46% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1916, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1945 peak of 7 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Decatur popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1916–2017

Last recorded 2017
Peak year (1945)
7
Annual births at peak, across 102 years of records
4.555.566.577.5 1916192519261927193219331945200620082017 5

Decatur by decade

1920s is the heaviest window (15 births, 28% of the file).

1920s was Decatur's strongest decade.

15 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 28% of all-time use.

Decatur births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1920s at 15 births (28% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Decatur? ▼
Since 1916, Social Security records show 54 babies named Decatur. Across the full SSA archive it ranks #21,628 of 45,481 boys' names by total births. The most recent recorded year was 2017. Its busiest year on record was 1945, with 7 births.
Where does Decatur sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Decatur ranks #21,628 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the null SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Decatur most popular? ▼
Decatur was most popular in the 1920s decade with 15 total births. The single peak year was 1945.
How long has the name Decatur been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Decatur since 1916 -- 102 years through the most recent 2017 data.
What names are similar to Decatur? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Declan, Decker, Decarlos, Decarlo, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Decatur's data

  • Decatur's usage has stayed within range of its 1920s decade-level peak (15 total births) through the 2010s (5) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Decatur

Nearby Names Like Decatur

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Decatur

Declan Boy
#139 58,547 births
Decker Boy
#1506 2,842 births
Decarlos Boy
#10889 1,215 births
Decarlo Boy
635 births
Decklan Boy
#4818 600 births

Compare Decatur side by side: Decatur vs Declan Decatur vs Decker Decatur vs Decarlos

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar number of total births

Voyle
54 births · Peak 1918
Thorwald
54 births · Peak 1923
Bub
54 births · Peak 1918
Berger
54 births · Peak 1914
Hoye
54 births · Peak 1924
Era
54 births · Peak 1920
Aldor
54 births · Peak 1915
Loral
54 births · Peak 1921

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Decatur: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1916–2017 (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 Decatur 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.