Boys' name · since 1886

Elgin

3,959 babies named Elgin in U.S. Social Security records since 1886, with the highest year being 1920. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#2,109 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#9,739 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
3,959
born since 1886
1920s
peak decade

3,959 babies have been named Elgin since 1886, making it today's #9739 boys' name.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Elgin has been recorded 3,959 times among boys since 1886, currently ranked #9739 nationally and more common than 30% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1886 to 2025.

  • #2,109 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #9,739 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 3,959 born since 1886
  • 1920s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Elgin ranks #2,109 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #9,739 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 3,959 born since 1886, peaking in the 1920s.

#2,109 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#9,739 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
3,959
born since 1886
1920s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%30%
Elgin vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Elgin's 3,959 recorded births place it above 95.36% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

19 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

19 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.

How Elgin compares

3,959 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

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

Metric Elgin Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 3,959 369 358,536
Peak-year births 69 34 22,252

Elgin's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Elgin splits its recorded history at 1961: 50% of all births land in the more recent half, 50% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1886 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1920 peak of 69 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Elgin popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1886–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1920)
69
Annual births at peak, across 140 years of records
020406080 188619141931194819651982199920162025 7

Elgin popularity over time - girls

43 total births recorded since 1915 (Elgin as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 43 births
45678910 1915191719221923192619271932 7

Elgin by decade

1920s is the heaviest window (532 births, 13% of the file).

1920s was Elgin's strongest decade.

532 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 13% of all-time use.

Elgin births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1920s at 532 births (13% of all-time use).

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

How Elgin 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 Elgin's total volume

Elgin vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15% 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 -124, 3.6%-77, 7%-41, 6.1%-146, 2.1%-59, 4.5%-112, 5.7%-66, 7.6%-49, 10.9%-146, 4.9%-40, 5.1%-146, 1.7%-114, 2.2%-59, 7.7%-37, 5.2%-116, 1.9%Elgin-140, 1.7%Elgin
Elgin vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Elgin by state

Where Elgin concentrates geographically, total births since 1886

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Elgin
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Texas
325 8.2%
#2 California
142 3.6%
#3 Michigan
48 1.2%
#4 Louisiana
43 1.1%
#5 New York
24 0.6%
#6 Oklahoma
23 0.6%
#7 Kentucky
22 0.6%
#8 North Carolina
21 0.5%
Texas share of Elgin's total US births 8.2%
Even split

325 of 3,959 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 19 reporting states.

Elgin appears in 19 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Elgin? ▼
Since 1886, Social Security records show 3,959 babies named Elgin. Across the full SSA archive it ranks #2,109 of 45,481 boys' names by total births. In 2025, it holds #9,739 of 13,930 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1920, with 69 births.
Where does Elgin sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Elgin ranks #2,109 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #9,739 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 Elgin most popular? ▼
Elgin was most popular in the 1920s decade with 532 total births. The single peak year was 1920.
Where is Elgin most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Elgin are Texas (325 births), California (142 births), Michigan (48 births).
How long has the name Elgin been used? ▼
Records for Elgin go back to 1886, giving 140 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Elgin? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Elgie, Elgar, Elgene, Elger, and 3 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Elgin's data

  • Elgin's decade-level peak was the 1920s (532 total births); usage has since declined to 71 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • Texas records the most Elgins (325 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names

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

Keep exploring Elgin

Nearby Names Like Elgin

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

Elgie Boy
814 births
Elgar Boy
63 births
Elgene Boy
48 births
Elger Boy
28 births
Elgan Boy
12 births

Compare Elgin side by side: Elgin vs Elgie Elgin vs Elgar Elgin vs Elgene

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Elgin

Olive #9738
394 births · Peak 1921
Everet #9740
752 births · Peak 1925
Rob #9737
8,775 births · Peak 1963
Sigmund #9741
2,855 births · Peak 1918
Roby #9736
2,481 births · Peak 1964
Bliss #9742
233 births · Peak 1914
Cleon #9735
3,000 births · Peak 1921
Hughie #9743
1,676 births · Peak 1925

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Elgin: 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, 1886–2025 (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 Elgin 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.