Total births
289,174
Boys' name · since 1880
Earl
Earl has 289,174 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1921 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #2156
- among boys today
- 289,174
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 85%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Earl is the #2156 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 289,174 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Earl recorded 289,174 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #2156 nationally today, ahead of 85% of boys, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #2156 among boys today
- 289,174 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 85% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Earl is currently the #2156 boys' name in America, more common than 85% of boys - 289,174 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #2156
- among boys today
- 289,174
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 85%
- more common than other boys
Earl vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#2156
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 85% of names given to boys today.
1920s
Peak decade
22% of everyone ever named Earl was born in this single decade.
1921
Single peak year
6,754 babies were named Earl in 1921 - its busiest year on record.
How Earl compares
289,174 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Earl's all-time total is 788x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Earl | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 289,174 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 6,754 | 23 | 22,252 |
Earl's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Earl splits its recorded history at 1953: 24% of all births land in the more recent half, 76% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 2023 (63 births) -- compare that against the 1921 peak of 6,754 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Earl at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1921
Current rank
#2,156
Active since
1880
Earl popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 6,754
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Earl popularity over time - girls
2,247 total births recorded since 1881 (Earl as girls' name)
Earl by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Earl's strongest decade.
63,602 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Earl births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 4,830
1880s
4,830 births
- 1890s 8,297
1890s
8,297 births
- 1900s 9,251
1900s
9,251 births
- 1910s
1910s
40,273 births
- 1920s
1920s
63,602 births
- 1930s
1930s
44,613 births
- 1940s
1940s
39,128 births
- 1950s
1950s
32,653 births
- 1960s 20,369
1960s
20,369 births
- 1970s 11,404
1970s
11,404 births
- 1980s 7,397
1980s
7,397 births
- 1990s 3,908
1990s
3,908 births
- 2000s 1,906
2000s
1,906 births
- 2010s 1,104
2010s
1,104 births
- 2020s 439
2020s
439 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 63,602 births (22% of all-time use).
How Earl 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 Earl's total volume
Earl vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Earl by state
Where Earl concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 20,113 | 7.0% |
| #2 | Ohio | | 14,805 | 5.1% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 13,896 | 4.8% |
| #4 | New York | | 11,951 | 4.1% |
| #5 | Texas | | 11,449 | 4.0% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 10,433 | 3.6% |
| #7 | California | | 10,272 | 3.6% |
| #8 | Kentucky | | 10,166 | 3.5% |
Pennsylvania share of Earl's total US births 7.0%
Even split
20,113 of 289,174 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Earl appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Earl? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 289,174 babies named Earl. Today it holds rank #2156 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1921, with 6,754 births.
When was Earl most popular? ▼
Earl was most popular in the 1920s decade with 63,602 total births. The single peak year was 1921.
Where is Earl most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Earl are Pennsylvania (20,113 births), Ohio (14,805 births), Illinois (13,896 births).
How long has the name Earl been used? ▼
Earl has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Earl? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Earnest, Earle, Early, Earlie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Earl's data
- Earl's decade-level peak was the 1920s (63,602 total births); usage has since declined to 439 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Earls (20,113 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania 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 Earl
Nearby Names Like Earl
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Earl
Earnest Boy
#5443 58,389 births
Earle Boy
11,505 births
Early Boy
3,989 births
Earlie Boy
2,263 births
Earvin Boy
1,198 births
Compare Earl side by side: Earl vs Earnest Earl vs Earle Earl vs Early
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Earl
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. "Earl: #2156 Boys' Name - 289,174 Births, Peak 1921." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/earl. 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 Earl 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.