Girls' name · since 1950
Ebony
Ebony has 38,998 recorded births since 1950 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1982 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #701 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #5,435 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 38,998
- born since 1950
- 1980s
- peak decade
Ebony currently ranks #5435 among girls' names in America, with 38,998 babies recorded since 1950.
Ebony has 38,998 recorded births among girls since 1950, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #5435 as of the latest data, more common than 69% of girls, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1950 to 2025.
- #701 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #5,435 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 38,998 born since 1950
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ebony ranks #701 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #5,435 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 38,998 born since 1950, peaking in the 1980s.
- #701 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #5,435 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 38,998
- born since 1950
- 1980s
- peak decade
Ebony's 38,998 recorded births place it above 99.03% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
40 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Ebony compares
38,998 Top 5% higher than 95% of 17,297 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
Ebony's all-time total is 104x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Ebony | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 38,998 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 2,279 | 21 | 19,840 |
Ebony's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Ebony's full recorded timeline at 1995, 19% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 81% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1967, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1982 peak of 2,279 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Ebony popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1950–2025
- Peak year (1982)
- 2,279
- Annual births at peak, across 76 years of records
Ebony popularity over time - boys
455 total births recorded since 1971 (Ebony as boys' name)
Ebony by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (18,263 births, 47% of the file).
1980s was Ebony's strongest decade.
18,263 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 47% of all-time use.
Ebony births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 6
1950s
6 births
- 1960s 59
1960s
59 births
- 1970s 6,688
1970s
6,688 births
- 1980s
1980s
18,263 births
- 1990s
1990s
10,174 births
- 2000s 2,911
2000s
2,911 births
- 2010s 742
2010s
742 births
- 2020s 155
2020s
155 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 18,263 births (47% of all-time use).
How Ebony 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 Ebony's total volume
Ebony by state
Where Ebony concentrates geographically, total births since 1950
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 4,131 | 10.6% |
| #2 | California | | 3,286 | 8.4% |
| #3 | Texas | | 2,490 | 6.4% |
| #4 | Florida | | 2,118 | 5.4% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 2,094 | 5.4% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 1,846 | 4.7% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 1,764 | 4.5% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 1,734 | 4.4% |
4,131 of 38,998 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 40 reporting states.
Ebony appears in 40 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Ebony? ▼
Where does Ebony sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Ebony most popular? ▼
Where is Ebony most popular? ▼
How long has the name Ebony been used? ▼
What names are similar to Ebony? ▼
What to do with Ebony's data
- Ebony's decade-level peak was the 1980s (18,263 total births); usage has since declined to 155 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Ebonys (4,131 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Ebony
Nearby Names Like Ebony
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Ebony
Compare Ebony side by side: Ebony vs Eboni Ebony vs Ebonie Ebony vs Ebonee
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Ebony
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Ebony: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1982)
Similar record span (~75 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, 1950–2025 (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 Ebony 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.