Total births
368,487
Girls' name · since 1880
Diana
Diana has 368,487 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1957 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #242
- among girls today
- 368,487
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 99%
- more common than other girls
368,487 babies have been named Diana since 1880, making it today's #242 girls' name.
Diana has 368,487 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #242 as of the latest data, more common than 99% of girls, busiest in the 1950s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #242 among girls today
- 368,487 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 99% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Diana is currently the #242 girls' name in America, more common than 99% of girls - 368,487 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #242
- among girls today
- 368,487
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 99%
- more common than other girls
Diana vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#242
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 99% of names given to girls today.
1950s
Peak decade
22% of everyone ever named Diana was born in this single decade.
1957
Single peak year
9,433 babies were named Diana in 1957 - its busiest year on record.
How Diana compares
368,487 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,726 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
Diana's all-time total is 965x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Diana | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 368,487 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 9,433 | 48 | 19,840 |
Diana's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Diana's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 75% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 25%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1888, with only 6 births recorded -- set against the 1957 peak of 9,433, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Diana at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1957
Current rank
#242
Active since
1880
Diana popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1957)
- 9,433
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Diana popularity over time - boys
1,284 total births recorded since 1926 (Diana as boys' name)
Diana by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Diana's strongest decade.
80,234 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Diana births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 118
1880s
118 births
- 1890s 225
1890s
225 births
- 1900s 353
1900s
353 births
- 1910s 1,337
1910s
1,337 births
- 1920s 3,223
1920s
3,223 births
- 1930s 9,500
1930s
9,500 births
- 1940s
1940s
53,698 births
- 1950s
1950s
80,234 births
- 1960s
1960s
65,037 births
- 1970s
1970s
33,348 births
- 1980s
1980s
36,904 births
- 1990s
1990s
33,784 births
- 2000s 29,544
2000s
29,544 births
- 2010s 13,411
2010s
13,411 births
- 2020s 7,771
2020s
7,771 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 80,234 births (22% of all-time use).
How Diana 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 Diana's total volume
Diana vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Diana by state
Where Diana concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 64,175 | 17.4% |
| #2 | Texas | | 38,584 | 10.5% |
| #3 | New York | | 35,232 | 9.6% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 21,741 | 5.9% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 18,548 | 5.0% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 14,688 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 12,127 | 3.3% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 11,861 | 3.2% |
California share of Diana's total US births 17.4%
Even split
64,175 of 368,487 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Diana appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Diana? ▼
368,487 babies have been named Diana since 1880. It currently ranks #242 among girls. The peak year was 1957 with 9,433 births.
When was Diana most popular? ▼
Diana was most popular in the 1950s decade with 80,234 total births. The single peak year was 1957.
Where is Diana most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Diana are California (64,175 births), Texas (38,584 births), New York (35,232 births).
How long has the name Diana been used? ▼
Diana has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Diana? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Diane, Dianne, Dianna, Diamond, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Diana's data
- Diana's decade-level peak was the 1950s (80,234 total births); usage has since declined to 7,771 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Dianas (64,175 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Diana
Nearby Names Like Diana
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Diana
Diane Girl
#2251 518,651 births
Dianne Girl
#8471 95,289 births
Dianna Girl
#2472 56,292 births
Diamond Girl
#1616 33,733 births
Diann Girl
12,252 births
Compare Diana side by side: Diana vs Diane Diana vs Dianne Diana vs Dianna
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Diana
Dahlia #241
19,359 births · Peak 2025
Mariana #243
45,887 births · Peak 2005
Kaylani #240
11,877 births · Peak 2025
Reagan #244
65,739 births · Peak 2016
Camille #239
75,722 births · Peak 2012
Selena #245
59,887 births · Peak 1995
Kiara #238
57,068 births · Peak 1999
Rachel #246
573,957 births · Peak 1985
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Diana: #242 Girls' Name - 368,487 Births, Peak 1957." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/diana. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Diana 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 June 2026.