Unisex name · since 1880

Early

Early has 3,989 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1927 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#2,093 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#7,684 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
3,989
born since 1880
1920s
peak decade

Early currently ranks #7684 among unisex names in America, with 3,989 babies recorded since 1880.

Early has 3,989 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #7684 as of the latest data, more common than 45% of boys, busiest in the 1920s -- 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.

  • #2,093 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #7,684 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 3,989 born since 1880
  • 1920s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Early ranks #2,093 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,684 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 3,989 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.

#2,093 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#7,684 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
3,989
born since 1880
1920s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%44.8%
Early vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Early's 3,989 recorded births place it above 95.39% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

11 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

11 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Alabama.

How Early compares

3,989 Top 15% higher than 85% 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

Early's all-time total is 11x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Early Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 3,989 369 358,536
Peak-year births 88 34 22,252

Early's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Early's full recorded timeline at 1944, 33% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 67% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1984, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1927 peak of 88 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Early popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1927)
88
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
020406080100 188018961912192819441960197619922025 10

Early popularity over time - girls

373 total births recorded since 1891 (Early as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 373 births
05101520 189119171923192919361942195119592013 6

Early by decade

1920s is the heaviest window (774 births, 19% of the file).

1920s was Early's strongest decade.

774 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 19% of all-time use.

Early births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1920s at 774 births (19% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Early 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 Early's total volume

Early vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%10%20%30% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -146, 1.5%-47, 5%-146, 4.6%-42, 7.1%-141, 1.8%-69, 6.5%-134, 2.4%-36, 12.6%-41, 26.6%-84, 2.3%-59, 3.3%-146, 1.7%-32, 11.5%-57, 3.3%-40, 5.1%Early-146, 2.2%Early
Early vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Early by state

Where Early concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Early
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Alabama
405 10.2%
#2 Georgia
371 9.3%
#3 North Carolina
269 6.7%
#4 Mississippi
252 6.3%
#5 Virginia
169 4.2%
#6 Texas
134 3.4%
#7 Louisiana
84 2.1%
#8 South Carolina
44 1.1%
Alabama share of Early's total US births 10.2%
Even split

405 of 3,989 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 11 reporting states.

Early appears in 11 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Early? ▼
Early has been given to 3,989 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Its archive ordinal is #2,093 of 45,481 among boys' names (total births, highest first). Among boys in 2025, it is #7,684 of 13,930. 88 babies were born in 1927, its single highest year.
Where does Early sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Early ranks #2,093 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,684 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Early most popular? ▼
Early was most popular in the 1920s decade with 774 total births. The single peak year was 1927.
Where is Early most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Early are Alabama (405 births), Georgia (371 births), North Carolina (269 births).
Is Early a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Early is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 3,989 births, and as a girl's name it has 373 births.
How long has the name Early been used? ▼
Records for Early go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Early? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Earl, Earnest, Earle, Earlie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Early's data

  • Early's decade-level peak was the 1920s (774 total births); usage has since declined to 25 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • Alabama records the most Earlys (405 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Alabama names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Early

Nearby Names Like Early

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Early

Earl Boy
#2230 289,174 births
Earnest Boy
#4139 58,389 births
Earle Boy
11,505 births
Earlie Boy
2,263 births
Earvin Boy
1,198 births

Compare Early side by side: Early vs Earl Early vs Earnest Early vs Earle

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Early

Thornton #7683
3,132 births · Peak 1921
Godfrey #7685
3,245 births · Peak 1918
Phil #7682
20,036 births · Peak 1959
Obie #7686
4,165 births · Peak 1924
Johnie #7681
20,930 births · Peak 1920
Huston #7687
2,714 births · Peak 1922
Gustave #7680
5,430 births · Peak 1915
Mitchel #7688
13,287 births · Peak 1994

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Early: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1880–2025 (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 Early 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.