Total births
43,268
Girls' name · since 1880
Etta
43,268 babies named Etta 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.
- #970
- among girls today
- 43,268
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other girls
Etta currently ranks #970 among girls' names in America, with 43,268 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Etta has been recorded 43,268 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #970 nationally and more common than 95% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. 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.
- #970 among girls today
- 43,268 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 95% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Etta is currently the #970 girls' name in America, more common than 95% of girls - 43,268 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #970
- among girls today
- 43,268
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other girls
Etta vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#970
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 95% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
16% of everyone ever named Etta was born in this single decade.
1920
Single peak year
803 babies were named Etta in 1920 - its busiest year on record.
How Etta compares
43,268 Top 4% higher than 96% 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
Etta's all-time total is 113x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Etta | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 43,268 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 803 | 48 | 19,840 |
Etta's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Etta's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 19% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 81%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 2001, with only 7 births recorded -- set against the 1920 peak of 803, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Etta at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1920
Current rank
#970
Active since
1880
Etta popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1920)
- 803
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Etta popularity over time - boys
23 total births recorded since 1915 (Etta as boys' name)
Etta by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Etta's strongest decade.
6,961 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 16% of all-time use.
Etta births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s
1880s
3,973 births
- 1890s
1890s
4,670 births
- 1900s
1900s
4,003 births
- 1910s
1910s
6,252 births
- 1920s
1920s
6,961 births
- 1930s
1930s
4,805 births
- 1940s
1940s
3,797 births
- 1950s 2,480
1950s
2,480 births
- 1960s 1,463
1960s
1,463 births
- 1970s 458
1970s
458 births
- 1980s 237
1980s
237 births
- 1990s 172
1990s
172 births
- 2000s 342
2000s
342 births
- 2010s 2,004
2010s
2,004 births
- 2020s 1,651
2020s
1,651 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 6,961 births (16% of all-time use).
How Etta 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 Etta's total volume
Etta vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Etta by state
Where Etta concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | North Carolina | | 2,114 | 4.9% |
| #2 | Texas | | 2,055 | 4.7% |
| #3 | New York | | 1,463 | 3.4% |
| #4 | Tennessee | | 1,371 | 3.2% |
| #5 | Kentucky | | 1,317 | 3.0% |
| #6 | Alabama | | 1,199 | 2.8% |
| #7 | Virginia | | 1,183 | 2.7% |
| #8 | Mississippi | | 1,117 | 2.6% |
North Carolina share of Etta's total US births 4.9%
Even split
2,114 of 43,268 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 46 reporting states.
Etta appears in 46 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Etta? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 43,268 babies named Etta. Today it holds rank #970 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1920, with 803 births.
When was Etta most popular? ▼
Etta was most popular in the 1920s decade with 6,961 total births. The single peak year was 1920.
Where is Etta most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Etta are North Carolina (2,114 births), Texas (2,055 births), New York (1,463 births).
How long has the name Etta been used? ▼
Etta has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Etta? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Ettie, Etty, Etter, Ettel, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Etta's data
- Etta's decade-level peak was the 1920s (6,961 total births); usage has since declined to 1,651 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- North Carolina records the most Ettas (2,114 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. North Carolina 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 Etta
Nearby Names Like Etta
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Etta
Ettie Girl
#10276 1,864 births
Etty Girl
#4494 767 births
Etter Girl
476 births
Ettel Girl
#8261 217 births
Ettamae Girl
101 births
Compare Etta side by side: Etta vs Ettie Etta vs Etty Etta vs Etter
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Etta
Mikaela #969
20,719 births · Peak 1997
Celina #971
16,295 births · Peak 1994
Paloma #968
10,765 births · Peak 2009
Elouise #972
11,398 births · Peak 2025
Kaya #967
10,314 births · Peak 2004
Julietta #973
2,931 births · Peak 2025
Mazie #966
9,797 births · Peak 2023
Amyra #974
2,935 births · Peak 2024
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. "Etta: #970 Girls' Name - 43,268 Births, Peak 1920." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/etta. 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 Etta 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.