Top 20 US name Girls' name Peak 1990 1,681,878 births

Elizabeth — #17 US girls' name

1,681,878 babies named Elizabeth in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1990. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s250061890s338791900s417081910s1168111920s1396721930s964791940s1165511950s1656581960s1689151970s1428551980s1989771990s1726902000s1335572010s940682020s35052
#17
of 17,661 girls in use

More common than 99.9% of names given to girls today.

1980s
Peak decade

12% of everyone ever named Elizabeth was born in this single decade.

1990
Single peak year

20,749 babies were named Elizabeth in 1990 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Elizabeth

The Social Security Administration has registered 1,681,878 babies named Elizabeth between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Elizabeth currently holds the #17 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1990, when 20,749 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Elizabeth performed strongest in the 1980s, accumulating 198,977 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Elizabeth shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 142,531 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by California and Pennsylvania. In total, SSA state-level files list Elizabeth in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Elizabeth in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 1,681,878 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Elizabeth at a glance

Top 100 girls' name

Total births

1,681,878

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1990

20,749 births that year

Strongest decade: 1980s

Current rank

#17

In the top 100

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Elizabeth popularity over time — girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 100 girls' name
Peak year (1990)
20,749
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
05,00010,00015,00020,00025,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 1,939

Elizabeth popularity over time — boys

5,211 total births recorded since 1880 (Elizabeth as boys' name)

Unisex variant — 5,211 births
-50050100150 202420031985196719491931191318951880 9

Elizabeth by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1980s
Peak decade
1980s
198,977 births that decade — 12% of Elizabeth's all-time total
1880s250061890s338791900s417081910s1168111920s1396721930s964791940s1165511950s1656581960s1689151970s1428551980s1989771990s1726902000s1335572010s940682020s35052

Elizabeth by state

Where Elizabeth concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Elizabeth
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
142,531 8.5%
#2 California
135,828 8.1%
#3 Pennsylvania
108,750 6.5%
#4 Texas
99,835 5.9%
#5 Illinois
75,196 4.5%
#6 Ohio
70,859 4.2%
#7 Massachusetts
56,417 3.4%
#8 Michigan
54,526 3.2%
New York share of Elizabeth's total US births 8.5%
Even split

142,531 of 1,681,878 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Elizabeth appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Elizabeth?
1,681,878 babies have been named Elizabeth since 1880. It currently ranks #17 among girls. The peak year was 1990 with 20,749 births.
When was Elizabeth most popular?
Elizabeth was most popular in the 1980s decade with 198,977 total births. The single peak year was 1990.
Where is Elizabeth most popular?
The top states for the name Elizabeth are New York (142,531 births), California (135,828 births), Pennsylvania (108,750 births).
How long has the name Elizabeth been used?
Elizabeth has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Elizabeth?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Elise, Eliza, Eliana, Elisabeth, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

Keep exploring Elizabeth

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.