Total births
1,688,757
Girls' name · since 1880
Elizabeth
Elizabeth has 1,688,757 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1990 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #17
- among girls today
- 1,688,757
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 99.9%
- more common than other girls
Elizabeth currently ranks #17 among girls' names in America, with 1,688,757 babies recorded since 1880.
Elizabeth has 1,688,757 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #17 as of the latest data, more common than 99.9% 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 1880 to 2025.
- #17 among girls today
- 1,688,757 born since 1880
- 1980s peak decade
- 99.9% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Elizabeth is currently the #17 girls' name in America, more common than 99.9% of girls - 1,688,757 born since 1880, peaking in the 1980s.
- #17
- among girls today
- 1,688,757
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 99.9%
- more common than other girls
Elizabeth vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#17
of 17,726 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
20,750 babies were named Elizabeth in 1990 - its busiest year on record.
How Elizabeth compares
1,688,757 Top 0% higher than 100% of 17,726 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
Elizabeth's all-time total is 4,421x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Elizabeth | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,688,757 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 20,750 | 48 | 19,840 |
Elizabeth's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Elizabeth splits its recorded history at 1953: 64% of all births land in the more recent half, 36% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1881 (1,852 births) -- compare that against the 1990 peak of 20,750 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Elizabeth at a glance
Top 100 girls' namePeak year
1990
Current rank
#17
Active since
1880
Elizabeth popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1990)
- 20,750
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Elizabeth popularity over time - boys
5,216 total births recorded since 1880 (Elizabeth as boys' name)
Elizabeth by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Elizabeth's strongest decade.
198,972 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 12% of all-time use.
Elizabeth births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 25,006
1880s
25,006 births
- 1890s 33,879
1890s
33,879 births
- 1900s 41,708
1900s
41,708 births
- 1910s
1910s
116,811 births
- 1920s
1920s
139,672 births
- 1930s
1930s
96,480 births
- 1940s
1940s
116,551 births
- 1950s
1950s
165,656 births
- 1960s
1960s
168,920 births
- 1970s
1970s
142,845 births
- 1980s
1980s
198,972 births
- 1990s
1990s
172,693 births
- 2000s
2000s
133,568 births
- 2010s
2010s
94,103 births
- 2020s 41,893
2020s
41,893 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 198,972 births (12% of all-time use).
How Elizabeth 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 Elizabeth's total volume
Elizabeth vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Elizabeth by state
Where Elizabeth concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 142,808 | 8.5% |
| #2 | California | | 136,485 | 8.1% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 108,979 | 6.5% |
| #4 | Texas | | 100,615 | 6.0% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 75,412 | 4.5% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 71,100 | 4.2% |
| #7 | Massachusetts | | 56,541 | 3.3% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 54,684 | 3.2% |
New York share of Elizabeth's total US births 8.5%
Even split
142,808 of 1,688,757 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? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 1,688,757 babies named Elizabeth. Today it holds rank #17 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1990, with 20,750 births.
When was Elizabeth most popular? ▼
Elizabeth was most popular in the 1980s decade with 198,972 total births. The single peak year was 1990.
Where is Elizabeth most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Elizabeth are New York (142,808 births), California (136,485 births), Pennsylvania (108,979 births).
How long has the name Elizabeth been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Elizabeth since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Elizabeth? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Eliana, Elise, Eliza, Elisabeth, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Elizabeth's data
- Elizabeth's decade-level peak was the 1980s (198,972 total births); usage has since declined to 41,893 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Elizabeths (142,808 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York 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 Elizabeth
Nearby Names Like Elizabeth
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Elizabeth
Eliana Girl
#18 76,104 births
Elise Girl
#251 75,186 births
Eliza Girl
#118 70,569 births
Elisabeth Girl
#908 48,018 births
Elisa Girl
#433 47,661 births
Compare Elizabeth side by side: Elizabeth vs Eliana Elizabeth vs Elise Elizabeth vs Eliza
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Elizabeth
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. "Elizabeth: #17 Girls' Name - 1,688,757 Births, Peak 1990." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/elizabeth. 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 Elizabeth 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.