Total births
141,728
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.
- #388
- among boys today
- 141,728
- born since 1880
- 1930s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other boys
Franklin currently ranks #388 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 #388 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.
- #388 among boys today
- 141,728 born since 1880
- 1930s peak decade
- 97% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Franklin is currently the #388 boys' name in America, more common than 97% of boys - 141,728 born since 1880, peaking in the 1930s.
- #388
- among boys today
- 141,728
- born since 1880
- 1930s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other boys
Franklin vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#388
of 14,294 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.
How Franklin compares
141,728 Top 2% higher than 98% of 14,294 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 386x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Franklin | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 141,728 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 5,363 | 23 | 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 at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1933
Current rank
#388
Active since
1880
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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 vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
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% |
New York share of Franklin's total US births 6.2%
Even split
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? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 141,728 babies named Franklin. Today it holds rank #388 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1933, with 5,363 births.
When was Franklin most popular? ▼
Franklin was most popular in the 1930s decade with 26,381 total births. The single peak year was 1933.
Where is Franklin most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Franklin are New York (8,799 births), Pennsylvania (8,677 births), California (7,355 births).
How long has the name Franklin been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Franklin since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
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.
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
- 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 Franklin
Nearby Names Like Franklin
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Franklin
Frank Boy
#468 915,978 births
Francis Boy
#450 290,490 births
Francisco Boy
#306 142,192 births
Frankie Boy
#1108 42,268 births
Franco Boy
#745 9,107 births
Compare Franklin side by side: Franklin vs Frank Franklin vs Francis Franklin vs Francisco
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Franklin
Marco #387
76,578 births · Peak 2005
Kamari #389
12,545 births · Peak 2022
Julius #386
84,628 births · Peak 1918
Wilder #390
8,197 births · Peak 2021
Iker #385
18,921 births · Peak 2015
Marshall #391
97,447 births · Peak 1947
Spencer #384
123,931 births · Peak 1998
Khalil #392
25,021 births · Peak 2020
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. "Franklin: #388 Boys' Name - 141,728 Births, Peak 1933." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/franklin. 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 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 June 2026.