US rank #385 Boys' name Peak 1933 140,810 births

Franklin — #385 US boys' name

140,810 babies named Franklin in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1933. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s10981890s9861900s11961910s80051920s125091930s263801940s193111950s170121960s138901970s93541980s82231990s71222000s54852010s63152020s3924
#385
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 97% of names given to boys today.

1930s
Peak decade

19% of everyone ever named Franklin was born in this single decade.

1933
Single peak year

5,363 babies were named Franklin in 1933 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Franklin

The Social Security Administration has registered 140,810 babies named Franklin between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Franklin currently holds the #385 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1933, when 5,363 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Franklin performed strongest in the 1930s, accumulating 26,380 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Franklin shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 8,760 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Pennsylvania and California. In total, SSA state-level files list Franklin in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Franklin in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 140,810 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Franklin at a glance

Top 1,000 boys' name

Total births

140,810

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1933

5,363 births that year

Strongest decade: 1930s

Current rank

#385

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Franklin popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (1933)
5,363
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-2,00002,0004,0006,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 120

Franklin popularity over time — girls

778 total births recorded since 1914 (Franklin as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 778 births
0510152025 202419941980196819571946193519231914 5

Franklin by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1930s
Peak decade
1930s
26,380 births that decade — 19% of Franklin's all-time total
1880s10981890s9861900s11961910s80051920s125091930s263801940s193111950s170121960s138901970s93541980s82231990s71222000s54852010s63152020s3924

Franklin by state

Where Franklin concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Franklin
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
8,760 6.2%
#2 Pennsylvania
8,650 6.1%
#3 California
7,282 5.2%
#4 North Carolina
6,989 5.0%
#5 Ohio
6,886 4.9%
#6 Georgia
6,357 4.5%
#7 Texas
6,271 4.5%
#8 Virginia
5,886 4.2%
New York share of Franklin's total US births 6.2%
Even split

8,760 of 140,810 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Franklin appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Franklin?
140,810 babies have been named Franklin since 1880. It currently ranks #385 among boys. The peak year was 1933 with 5,363 births.
When was Franklin most popular?
Franklin was most popular in the 1930s decade with 26,380 total births. The single peak year was 1933.
Where is Franklin most popular?
The top states for the name Franklin are New York (8,760 births), Pennsylvania (8,650 births), California (7,282 births).
How long has the name Franklin been used?
Franklin has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Franklin?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Frank, Francis, Francisco, Frankie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Franklin

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.