Total births
518,651
Girls' name · since 1898
Diane
518,651 babies named Diane in U.S. Social Security records since 1898, with the highest year being 1955. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #2251
- among girls today
- 518,651
- born since 1898
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 87%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Diane is the #2251 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 518,651 recorded since 1898.
Social Security Administration records show Diane recorded 518,651 times among girls since 1898, holding rank #2251 nationally today, ahead of 87% of girls, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1898 to 2025.
- #2251 among girls today
- 518,651 born since 1898
- 1950s peak decade
- 87% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Diane is currently the #2251 girls' name in America, more common than 87% of girls - 518,651 born since 1898, peaking in the 1950s.
- #2251
- among girls today
- 518,651
- born since 1898
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 87%
- more common than other girls
Diane vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#2251
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 87% of names given to girls today.
1950s
Peak decade
41% of everyone ever named Diane was born in this single decade.
1955
Single peak year
23,290 babies were named Diane in 1955 - its busiest year on record.
How Diane compares
518,651 Top 0% higher than 100% 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
Diane's all-time total is 1,358x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Diane | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 518,651 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 23,290 | 48 | 19,840 |
Diane's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Diane's full recorded timeline at 1962, 24% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 76% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1898, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1955 peak of 23,290 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Diane at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1955
Current rank
#2,251
Active since
1898
Diane popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1898–2025
- Peak year (1955)
- 23,290
- Annual births at peak, across 128 years of records
Diane popularity over time - boys
1,383 total births recorded since 1933 (Diane as boys' name)
Diane by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Diane's strongest decade.
210,624 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 41% of all-time use.
Diane births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 13
1890s
13 births
- 1900s 108
1900s
108 births
- 1910s 728
1910s
728 births
- 1920s 2,310
1920s
2,310 births
- 1930s 22,198
1930s
22,198 births
- 1940s
1940s
122,878 births
- 1950s
1950s
210,624 births
- 1960s
1960s
114,453 births
- 1970s 25,323
1970s
25,323 births
- 1980s 11,182
1980s
11,182 births
- 1990s 4,913
1990s
4,913 births
- 2000s 2,403
2000s
2,403 births
- 2010s 1,043
2010s
1,043 births
- 2020s 475
2020s
475 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 210,624 births (41% of all-time use).
How Diane 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 Diane's total volume
Diane vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Diane by state
Where Diane concentrates geographically, total births since 1898
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 64,035 | 12.3% |
| #2 | California | | 45,453 | 8.8% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 41,951 | 8.1% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 37,265 | 7.2% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 30,820 | 5.9% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 29,082 | 5.6% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 24,539 | 4.7% |
| #8 | Massachusetts | | 24,069 | 4.6% |
New York share of Diane's total US births 12.3%
Even split
64,035 of 518,651 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Diane appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Diane? ▼
Diane has been given to 518,651 babies in the U.S. since 1898, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #2251 as of the latest data. 23,290 babies were born in 1955, its single highest year.
When was Diane most popular? ▼
Diane was most popular in the 1950s decade with 210,624 total births. The single peak year was 1955.
Where is Diane most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Diane are New York (64,035 births), California (45,453 births), Pennsylvania (41,951 births).
How long has the name Diane been used? ▼
Diane has been recorded in Social Security data since 1898, spanning 128 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Diane? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Diana, Dianne, Dianna, Diamond, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Diane's data
- Diane's decade-level peak was the 1950s (210,624 total births); usage has since declined to 475 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Dianes (64,035 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York 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 Diane
Nearby Names Like Diane
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Diane
Diana Girl
#242 368,487 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 Diane side by side: Diane vs Diana Diane vs Dianne Diane vs Dianna
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Diane
Janice #2250
406,448 births · Peak 1951
Natalee #2252
10,311 births · Peak 2006
Indiana #2249
2,090 births · Peak 2021
Joslyn #2253
11,227 births · Peak 2010
Elvira #2248
27,234 births · Peak 1920
Weslie #2254
628 births · Peak 2024
Everlynn #2247
702 births · Peak 2023
Misha #2255
4,255 births · Peak 1991
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, 1898–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Diane: #2251 Girls' Name - 518,651 Births, Peak 1955." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/diane. 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 Diane 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.