Total births
639,756
Girls' name · since 1880
Evelyn
Evelyn has 639,756 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1921 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #8
- among girls today
- 639,756
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 99.9%
- more common than other girls
639,756 babies have been named Evelyn since 1880, making it today's #8 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Evelyn has been recorded 639,756 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #8 nationally and more common than 99.9% 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.
- #8 among girls today
- 639,756 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 99.9% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Evelyn is currently the #8 girls' name in America, more common than 99.9% of girls - 639,756 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #8
- among girls today
- 639,756
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 99.9%
- more common than other girls
Evelyn vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#8
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 99.9% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
19% of everyone ever named Evelyn was born in this single decade.
1921
Single peak year
14,278 babies were named Evelyn in 1921 - its busiest year on record.
How Evelyn compares
639,756 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
Evelyn's all-time total is 1,675x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Evelyn | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 639,756 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 14,278 | 48 | 19,840 |
Evelyn's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Evelyn's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 42% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 58%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1881, with only 116 births recorded -- set against the 1921 peak of 14,278, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Evelyn at a glance
Top 10 girls' namePeak year
1921
Current rank
#8
Active since
1880
Evelyn popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 14,278
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Evelyn popularity over time - boys
1,906 total births recorded since 1900 (Evelyn as boys' name)
Evelyn by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Evelyn's strongest decade.
124,166 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 19% of all-time use.
Evelyn births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,817
1880s
1,817 births
- 1890s 5,648
1890s
5,648 births
- 1900s 18,603
1900s
18,603 births
- 1910s
1910s
91,492 births
- 1920s
1920s
124,166 births
- 1930s
1930s
69,364 births
- 1940s 48,157
1940s
48,157 births
- 1950s 38,411
1950s
38,411 births
- 1960s 22,582
1960s
22,582 births
- 1970s 9,974
1970s
9,974 births
- 1980s 10,978
1980s
10,978 births
- 1990s 15,128
1990s
15,128 births
- 2000s 40,730
2000s
40,730 births
- 2010s
2010s
86,972 births
- 2020s
2020s
55,734 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 124,166 births (19% of all-time use).
How Evelyn 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 Evelyn's total volume
Evelyn vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Evelyn by state
Where Evelyn concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 51,606 | 8.1% |
| #2 | California | | 51,278 | 8.0% |
| #3 | Texas | | 41,857 | 6.5% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 34,052 | 5.3% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 32,285 | 5.0% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 26,981 | 4.2% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 20,329 | 3.2% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 19,716 | 3.1% |
New York share of Evelyn's total US births 8.1%
Even split
51,606 of 639,756 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Evelyn appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Evelyn? ▼
Evelyn has been given to 639,756 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #8 as of the latest data. 14,278 babies were born in 1921, its single highest year.
When was Evelyn most popular? ▼
Evelyn was most popular in the 1920s decade with 124,166 total births. The single peak year was 1921.
Where is Evelyn most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Evelyn are New York (51,606 births), California (51,278 births), Texas (41,857 births).
How long has the name Evelyn been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Evelyn since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Evelyn? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Everly, Eve, Everleigh, Evelynn, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Evelyn's data
- Evelyn's usage has stayed within range of its 1920s decade-level peak (124,166 total births) through the 2020s (55,734) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- New York records the most Evelyns (51,606 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 Evelyn
Nearby Names Like Evelyn
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Evelyn
Everly Girl
#81 43,374 births
Eve Girl
#567 29,510 births
Everleigh Girl
#164 20,924 births
Evelynn Girl
#304 16,064 births
Evelin Girl
#2014 7,425 births
Compare Evelyn side by side: Evelyn vs Everly Evelyn vs Eve Evelyn vs Everleigh
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Evelyn
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. "Evelyn: #8 Girls' Name - 639,756 Births, Peak 1921." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/evelyn. 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 Evelyn 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.