Total births
126,160
Boys' name · since 1887
Diego
Since 1887, U.S. Social Security records show 126,160 babies named Diego, peaking in 2006. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #145
- among boys today
- 126,160
- born since 1887
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 99%
- more common than other boys
Diego currently ranks #145 among boys' names in America, with 126,160 babies recorded since 1887.
Diego has 126,160 recorded births among boys since 1887, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #145 as of the latest data, more common than 99% of boys, 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 1887 to 2025.
- #145 among boys today
- 126,160 born since 1887
- 2000s peak decade
- 99% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Diego is currently the #145 boys' name in America, more common than 99% of boys - 126,160 born since 1887, peaking in the 2000s.
- #145
- among boys today
- 126,160
- born since 1887
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 99%
- more common than other boys
Diego vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#145
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 99% of names given to boys today.
2000s
Peak decade
44% of everyone ever named Diego was born in this single decade.
2006
Single peak year
8,403 babies were named Diego in 2006 - its busiest year on record.
How Diego compares
126,160 Top 2% higher than 98% of 14,294 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
Diego's all-time total is 344x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Diego | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 126,160 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 8,403 | 23 | 22,252 |
Diego's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Diego's full recorded timeline at 1967, 99% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 1% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1887, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2006 peak of 8,403 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Diego at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
2006
Current rank
#145
Active since
1887
Diego popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1887–2025
- Peak year (2006)
- 8,403
- Annual births at peak, across 139 years of records
Diego popularity over time - girls
245 total births recorded since 1987 (Diego as girls' name)
Diego by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Diego's strongest decade.
56,041 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 44% of all-time use.
Diego births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 5
1880s
5 births
- 1900s 5
1900s
5 births
- 1910s 112
1910s
112 births
- 1920s 197
1920s
197 births
- 1930s 188
1930s
188 births
- 1940s 224
1940s
224 births
- 1950s 350
1950s
350 births
- 1960s 633
1960s
633 births
- 1970s 1,244
1970s
1,244 births
- 1980s 3,902
1980s
3,902 births
- 1990s 13,459
1990s
13,459 births
- 2000s
2000s
56,041 births
- 2010s
2010s
33,386 births
- 2020s 16,414
2020s
16,414 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 56,041 births (44% of all-time use).
How Diego 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 Diego's total volume
Diego vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Diego by state
Where Diego concentrates geographically, total births since 1887
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 39,670 | 31.4% |
| #2 | Texas | | 26,025 | 20.6% |
| #3 | Florida | | 6,212 | 4.9% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 6,161 | 4.9% |
| #5 | Arizona | | 4,912 | 3.9% |
| #6 | New York | | 4,697 | 3.7% |
| #7 | Colorado | | 2,584 | 2.0% |
| #8 | Georgia | | 2,467 | 2.0% |
California share of Diego's total US births 31.4%
Even split
39,670 of 126,160 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 48 reporting states.
Diego appears in 48 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Diego? ▼
Diego has been given to 126,160 babies in the U.S. since 1887, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #145 as of the latest data. 8,403 babies were born in 2006, its single highest year.
When was Diego most popular? ▼
Diego was most popular in the 2000s decade with 56,041 total births. The single peak year was 2006.
Where is Diego most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Diego are California (39,670 births), Texas (26,025 births), Florida (6,212 births).
How long has the name Diego been used? ▼
Diego has been recorded in Social Security data since 1887, spanning 139 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Diego? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Diesel, Dietrich, Dieter, Diezel, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Diego's data
- Diego's decade-level peak was the 2000s (56,041 total births); usage has since declined to 16,414 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Diegos (39,670 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 Diego
Nearby Names Like Diego
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Diego
Diesel Boy
#3204 2,092 births
Dietrich Boy
#3351 2,063 births
Dieter Boy
915 births
Diezel Boy
345 births
Dierks Boy
#5834 308 births
Compare Diego side by side: Diego vs Diesel Diego vs Dietrich Diego vs Dieter
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Diego
Nathaniel #144
287,103 births · Peak 2002
Arlo #146
24,245 births · Peak 2024
Evan #143
287,701 births · Peak 2007
Bryson #147
83,241 births · Peak 2017
Dean #142
192,930 births · Peak 1961
Jason #148
1,052,030 births · Peak 1977
Leon #141
182,638 births · Peak 1924
Malachi #149
65,758 births · Peak 2006
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, 1887–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Diego: #145 Boys' Name - 126,160 Births, Peak 2006." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/diego. 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 Diego 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.