Girls' name · since 1880
Ethel
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 278,922 babies named Ethel, peaking in 1918. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #141 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #4,172 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 278,922
- born since 1880
- 1910s
- peak decade
278,922 babies have been named Ethel since 1880, making it today's #4172 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ethel has been recorded 278,922 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #4172 nationally and more common than 76% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1910s. 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.
- #141 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #4,172 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 278,922 born since 1880
- 1910s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ethel ranks #141 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,172 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 278,922 born since 1880, peaking in the 1910s.
- #141 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #4,172 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 278,922
- born since 1880
- 1910s
- peak decade
Ethel's 278,922 recorded births place it above 99.8% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Pennsylvania.
How Ethel compares
278,922 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,297 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
Ethel's all-time total is 742x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Ethel | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 278,922 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 8,075 | 21 | 19,840 |
Ethel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Ethel splits its recorded history at 1953: 5% of all births land in the more recent half, 95% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 2015 (12 births) -- compare that against the 1918 peak of 8,075 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Ethel popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 8,075
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Ethel popularity over time - boys
1,490 total births recorded since 1880 (Ethel as boys' name)
Ethel by decade
1910s is the heaviest window (63,662 births, 23% of the file).
1910s was Ethel's strongest decade.
63,662 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.
Ethel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 14,866
1880s
14,866 births
- 1890s
1890s
31,453 births
- 1900s
1900s
34,868 births
- 1910s
1910s
63,662 births
- 1920s
1920s
62,806 births
- 1930s
1930s
31,582 births
- 1940s 20,582
1940s
20,582 births
- 1950s 11,544
1950s
11,544 births
- 1960s 4,691
1960s
4,691 births
- 1970s 1,499
1970s
1,499 births
- 1980s 547
1980s
547 births
- 1990s 272
1990s
272 births
- 2000s 187
2000s
187 births
- 2010s 198
2010s
198 births
- 2020s 165
2020s
165 births
What this shows Peak: 1910s at 63,662 births (23% of all-time use).
How Ethel 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 Ethel's total volume
Ethel by state
Where Ethel concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 16,133 | 5.8% |
| #2 | New York | | 14,468 | 5.2% |
| #3 | North Carolina | | 10,214 | 3.7% |
| #4 | Alabama | | 9,073 | 3.3% |
| #5 | Georgia | | 8,851 | 3.2% |
| #6 | Texas | | 8,370 | 3.0% |
| #7 | Louisiana | | 8,127 | 2.9% |
| #8 | Mississippi | | 8,061 | 2.9% |
16,133 of 278,922 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Ethel appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Ethel? ▼
Where does Ethel sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Ethel most popular? ▼
Where is Ethel most popular? ▼
How long has the name Ethel been used? ▼
What names are similar to Ethel? ▼
What to do with Ethel's data
- Ethel's decade-level peak was the 1910s (63,662 total births); usage has since declined to 165 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Ethels (16,133 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Ethel
Nearby Names Like Ethel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Ethel
Compare Ethel side by side: Ethel vs Ethelyn Ethel vs Ethyl Ethel vs Ethelene
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Ethel
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Ethel: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1918)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
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 Ethel 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.