Girls' name · since 1956
Destiny
151,763 babies named Destiny in U.S. Social Security records since 1956, with the highest year being 2000. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #262 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #635 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 151,763
- born since 1956
- 2000s
- peak decade
Yes -- Destiny is the #635 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 151,763 recorded since 1956.
Destiny has 151,763 recorded births among girls since 1956, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #635 as of the latest data, more common than 96% of girls, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1956 to 2025.
- #262 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #635 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 151,763 born since 1956
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Destiny ranks #262 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #635 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 151,763 born since 1956, peaking in the 2000s.
- #262 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #635 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 151,763
- born since 1956
- 2000s
- peak decade
Destiny's 151,763 recorded births place it above 99.63% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Destiny compares
151,763 Top 2% higher than 98% 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
Destiny's all-time total is 404x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Destiny | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 151,763 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 9,850 | 21 | 19,840 |
Destiny's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Destiny splits its recorded history at 1992: 92% of all births land in the more recent half, 8% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1956 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2000 peak of 9,850 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Destiny popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1956–2025
- Peak year (2000)
- 9,850
- Annual births at peak, across 70 years of records
Destiny popularity over time - boys
526 total births recorded since 1975 (Destiny as boys' name)
Destiny by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (69,815 births, 46% of the file).
2000s was Destiny's strongest decade.
69,815 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 46% of all-time use.
Destiny births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 16
1950s
16 births
- 1960s 137
1960s
137 births
- 1970s 1,612
1970s
1,612 births
- 1980s 6,542
1980s
6,542 births
- 1990s
1990s
48,238 births
- 2000s
2000s
69,815 births
- 2010s 21,104
2010s
21,104 births
- 2020s 4,299
2020s
4,299 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 69,815 births (46% of all-time use).
How Destiny 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 Destiny's total volume
Destiny by state
Where Destiny concentrates geographically, total births since 1956
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 20,846 | 13.7% |
| #2 | Texas | | 17,020 | 11.2% |
| #3 | Florida | | 8,686 | 5.7% |
| #4 | New York | | 8,421 | 5.5% |
| #5 | Georgia | | 6,492 | 4.3% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 5,885 | 3.9% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 5,482 | 3.6% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 5,460 | 3.6% |
20,846 of 151,763 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Destiny appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Destiny? ▼
Where does Destiny sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Destiny most popular? ▼
Where is Destiny most popular? ▼
How long has the name Destiny been used? ▼
What names are similar to Destiny? ▼
What to do with Destiny's data
- Destiny's decade-level peak was the 2000s (69,815 total births); usage has since declined to 4,299 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Destinys (20,846 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 Destiny
Nearby Names Like Destiny
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Destiny
Compare Destiny side by side: Destiny vs Desiree Destiny vs Destinee Destiny vs Desirae
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Destiny
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Destiny: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2000)
Similar record span (~69 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, 1956–2025 (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 Destiny 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.