Boys' name · since 1880

Elton

21,353 babies named Elton in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1920. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#809 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#2,304 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
21,353
born since 1880
1920s
peak decade

Yes -- Elton is the #2304 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 21,353 recorded since 1880.

Social Security Administration records show Elton recorded 21,353 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #2304 nationally today, ahead of 83% of boys, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.

  • #809 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #2,304 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 21,353 born since 1880
  • 1920s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Elton ranks #809 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,304 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 21,353 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.

#809 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#2,304 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
21,353
born since 1880
1920s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%83.4%
Elton vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Elton's 21,353 recorded births place it above 98.22% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

42 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

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

How Elton compares

21,353 Top 6% higher than 94% 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

Elton's all-time total is 58x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Elton Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 21,353 369 358,536
Peak-year births 394 34 22,252

Elton's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Elton's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 43% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 57%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1880, with only 7 births recorded -- set against the 1920 peak of 394, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Elton popularity over time - boys

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

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1920)
394
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
0100200300400500 188019001919193819571976199520142025 60

Elton popularity over time - girls

200 total births recorded since 1903 (Elton as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 200 births
46810121416 1903191519201924192919362021 11

Elton by decade

1920s is the heaviest window (3,535 births, 17% of the file).

1920s was Elton's strongest decade.

3,535 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.

Elton births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1920s at 3,535 births (17% of all-time use).

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

How Elton 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 Elton's total volume

Elton vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8%10%12% 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 -145, 1.8%-51, 5.6%-137, 4.1%-60, 6.3%-66, 9.7%-146, 2%-146, 3%-146, 2.4%-116, 3.4%-142, 1.8%-146, 3.2%-135, 3.2%-108, 9.7%-113, 3.7%-146, 4.8%Elton-146, 1.8%Elton
Elton vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Elton by state

Where Elton concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Elton
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Texas
2,541 11.9%
#2 Louisiana
1,710 8.0%
#3 North Carolina
1,115 5.2%
#4 California
1,071 5.0%
#5 New York
897 4.2%
#6 Georgia
777 3.6%
#7 Mississippi
710 3.3%
#8 Michigan
622 2.9%
Texas share of Elton's total US births 11.9%
Even split

2,541 of 21,353 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 42 reporting states.

Elton appears in 42 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Elton?
Since 1880, Social Security records show 21,353 babies named Elton. Across the full SSA archive it ranks #809 of 45,481 boys' names by total births. In 2025, it holds #2,304 of 13,930 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1920, with 394 births.
Where does Elton sit in the SSA name archive?
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Elton ranks #809 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,304 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 Elton most popular?
Elton was most popular in the 1920s decade with 3,535 total births. The single peak year was 1920.
Where is Elton most popular?
The top states for the name Elton are Texas (2,541 births), Louisiana (1,710 births), North Carolina (1,115 births).
How long has the name Elton been used?
Records for Elton go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Elton?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Elthan. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Elton's data

  • Elton's decade-level peak was the 1920s (3,535 total births); usage has since declined to 482 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • Texas records the most Eltons (2,541 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 Elton

Nearby Names Like Elton

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

Names with a similar popularity rank to Elton

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Elton: 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 Elton 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.