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.
- #267 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #158 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 126,160
- born since 1887
- 2000s
- peak decade
Diego currently ranks #158 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 #158 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.
- #267 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #158 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 126,160 born since 1887
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Diego ranks #267 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #158 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 126,160 born since 1887, peaking in the 2000s.
- #267 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #158 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 126,160
- born since 1887
- 2000s
- peak decade
Diego's 126,160 recorded births place it above 99.41% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
48 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Diego compares
126,160 Top 2% higher than 98% of 13,930 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 342x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Diego | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 126,160 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 8,403 | 34 | 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 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
2000s is the heaviest window (56,041 births, 44% of the file).
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 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% |
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? ▼
Where does Diego sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Diego most popular? ▼
Where is Diego most popular? ▼
How long has the name Diego been used? ▼
What names are similar to Diego? ▼
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
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
Compare Diego side by side: Diego vs Diesel Diego vs Dietrich Diego vs Dieter
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Diego
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Diego: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2006)
Similar record span (~138 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, 1887–2025 (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 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 August 2026.