Boys' name · since 1880
Franklin
141,728 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.
- #239 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #359 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 141,728
- born since 1880
- 1930s
- peak decade
Franklin currently ranks #359 among boys' names in America, with 141,728 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Franklin recorded 141,728 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #359 nationally today, ahead of 97% of boys, peaking in the 1930s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #239 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #359 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 141,728 born since 1880
- 1930s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Franklin ranks #239 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #359 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 141,728 born since 1880, peaking in the 1930s.
- #239 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #359 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 141,728
- born since 1880
- 1930s
- peak decade
Franklin's 141,728 recorded births place it above 99.47% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Franklin compares
141,728 Top 2% higher than 98% of 13,930 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
Franklin's all-time total is 384x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Franklin | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 141,728 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 5,363 | 34 | 22,252 |
Franklin's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Franklin splits its recorded history at 1953: 47% of all births land in the more recent half, 53% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1897 (68 births) -- compare that against the 1933 peak of 5,363 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Franklin popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1933)
- 5,363
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Franklin popularity over time - girls
778 total births recorded since 1914 (Franklin as girls' name)
Franklin by decade
1930s is the heaviest window (26,381 births, 19% of the file).
1930s was Franklin's strongest decade.
26,381 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 19% of all-time use.
Franklin births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,098
1880s
1,098 births
- 1890s 986
1890s
986 births
- 1900s 1,196
1900s
1,196 births
- 1910s 8,005
1910s
8,005 births
- 1920s
1920s
12,509 births
- 1930s
1930s
26,381 births
- 1940s
1940s
19,312 births
- 1950s
1950s
17,007 births
- 1960s
1960s
13,892 births
- 1970s 9,352
1970s
9,352 births
- 1980s 8,224
1980s
8,224 births
- 1990s 7,121
1990s
7,121 births
- 2000s 5,487
2000s
5,487 births
- 2010s 6,317
2010s
6,317 births
- 2020s 4,841
2020s
4,841 births
What this shows Peak: 1930s at 26,381 births (19% of all-time use).
How Franklin 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 Franklin's total volume
Franklin by state
Where Franklin concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 8,799 | 6.2% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 8,677 | 6.1% |
| #3 | California | | 7,355 | 5.2% |
| #4 | North Carolina | | 7,031 | 5.0% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 6,939 | 4.9% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 6,378 | 4.5% |
| #7 | Texas | | 6,334 | 4.5% |
| #8 | Virginia | | 5,910 | 4.2% |
8,799 of 141,728 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? ▼
Where does Franklin sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Franklin most popular? ▼
Where is Franklin most popular? ▼
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What to do with Franklin's data
- Franklin's decade-level peak was the 1930s (26,381 total births); usage has since declined to 4,841 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Franklins (8,799 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Franklin
Nearby Names Like Franklin
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Franklin
Compare Franklin side by side: Franklin vs Frank Franklin vs Francis Franklin vs Francisco
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Franklin
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Franklin: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1933)
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 Franklin 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.