Total births
8,236
Boys' name · since 1880
Ephraim
8,236 babies named Ephraim in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2017. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #976
- among boys today
- 8,236
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 93%
- more common than other boys
Ephraim currently ranks #976 among boys' names in America, with 8,236 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ephraim has been recorded 8,236 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #976 nationally and more common than 93% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #976 among boys today
- 8,236 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
- 93% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Ephraim is currently the #976 boys' name in America, more common than 93% of boys - 8,236 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #976
- among boys today
- 8,236
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 93%
- more common than other boys
Ephraim vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#976
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 93% of names given to boys today.
2010s
Peak decade
26% of everyone ever named Ephraim was born in this single decade.
2017
Single peak year
260 babies were named Ephraim in 2017 - its busiest year on record.
How Ephraim compares
8,236 Top 9% higher than 91% of 14,294 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
Ephraim's all-time total is 22x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Ephraim | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 8,236 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 260 | 23 | 22,252 |
Ephraim's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Ephraim splits its recorded history at 1955: 84% of all births land in the more recent half, 16% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1906 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2017 peak of 260 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Ephraim at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
2017
Current rank
#976
Active since
1880
Ephraim popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2017)
- 260
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Ephraim by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Ephraim's strongest decade.
2,182 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Ephraim births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 127
1880s
127 births
- 1890s 76
1890s
76 births
- 1900s 53
1900s
53 births
- 1910s 275
1910s
275 births
- 1920s 348
1920s
348 births
- 1930s 186
1930s
186 births
- 1940s 177
1940s
177 births
- 1950s 228
1950s
228 births
- 1960s 258
1960s
258 births
- 1970s 439
1970s
439 births
- 1980s 600
1980s
600 births
- 1990s 634
1990s
634 births
- 2000s
2000s
1,325 births
- 2010s
2010s
2,182 births
- 2020s
2020s
1,328 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 2,182 births (26% of all-time use).
How Ephraim 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 Ephraim's total volume
Ephraim vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Ephraim by state
Where Ephraim concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 1,127 | 13.7% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 520 | 6.3% |
| #3 | California | | 457 | 5.5% |
| #4 | Texas | | 349 | 4.2% |
| #5 | New Jersey | | 284 | 3.4% |
| #6 | Utah | | 247 | 3.0% |
| #7 | Florida | | 220 | 2.7% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 124 | 1.5% |
New York share of Ephraim's total US births 13.7%
Even split
1,127 of 8,236 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 32 reporting states.
Ephraim appears in 32 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Ephraim? ▼
Ephraim has been given to 8,236 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #976 as of the latest data. 260 babies were born in 2017, its single highest year.
When was Ephraim most popular? ▼
Ephraim was most popular in the 2010s decade with 2,182 total births. The single peak year was 2017.
Where is Ephraim most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Ephraim are New York (1,127 births), Pennsylvania (520 births), California (457 births).
How long has the name Ephraim been used? ▼
Ephraim has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Ephraim? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Ephriam, Ephram, Ephrem, Ephrain, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Ephraim's data
- Ephraim's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (2,182 total births) through the 2020s (1,328) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- New York records the most Ephraims (1,127 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 Ephraim
Nearby Names Like Ephraim
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Ephraim
Ephriam Boy
#9903 966 births
Ephram Boy
#12371 453 births
Ephrem Boy
#6911 250 births
Ephrain Boy
11 births
Ephrim Boy
10 births
Compare Ephraim side by side: Ephraim vs Ephriam Ephraim vs Ephram Ephraim vs Ephrem
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Ephraim
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. "Ephraim: #976 Boys' Name - 8,236 Births, Peak 2017." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/ephraim. 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 Ephraim 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.