Boys' name · since 1882

Gaines

Since 1882, U.S. Social Security records show 1,717 babies named Gaines, peaking in 1915. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#3,628 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#5,050 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
1,717
born since 1882
1920s
peak decade

Gaines currently ranks #5050 among boys' names in America, with 1,717 babies recorded since 1882.

Social Security Administration records show Gaines recorded 1,717 times among boys since 1882, holding rank #5050 nationally today, ahead of 64% of boys, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1882 to 2025.

  • #3,628 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #5,050 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 1,717 born since 1882
  • 1920s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Gaines ranks #3,628 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #5,050 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,717 born since 1882, peaking in the 1920s.

#3,628 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#5,050 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
1,717
born since 1882
1920s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%63.7%
Gaines vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Above the archive median
All-time archive position

Gaines's 1,717 recorded births place it above 92.02% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

7 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

7 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Alabama.

How Gaines compares

1,717 Top 24% higher than 76% 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

Gaines's all-time total is 5x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Gaines Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 1,717 369 358,536
Peak-year births 32 34 22,252

Gaines's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Gaines splits its recorded history at 1958: 40% of all births land in the more recent half, 60% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1882 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1915 peak of 32 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Gaines popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1915)
32
Annual births at peak, across 144 years of records
010203040 188219151930194519601979199920142025 19

Gaines by decade

1920s is the heaviest window (239 births, 14% of the file).

1920s was Gaines's strongest decade.

239 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 14% of all-time use.

Gaines births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1920s at 239 births (14% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Gaines 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 Gaines's total volume

Gaines vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15%20% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -55, 10%-113, 3%-106, 3%-28, 9.3%-66, 4.8%-23, 11.1%-51, 4.8%-47, 16.3%-17, 14.8%-41, 9%-57, 4.5%-20, 13.7%-101, 4.8%-138, 3.2%-114, 2.8%Gaines-144, 1.9%Gaines
Gaines vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Gaines by state

Where Gaines concentrates geographically, total births since 1882

Geographically diffuse
Top 7 states by recorded births for the name Gaines
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Alabama
169 9.8%
#2 Georgia
30 1.7%
#3 Tennessee
23 1.3%
#4 Texas
16 0.9%
#5 Mississippi
11 0.6%
#6 Kentucky
5 0.3%
#7 South Carolina
5 0.3%
Alabama share of Gaines's total US births 9.8%
Even split

169 of 1,717 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 7 reporting states.

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Gaines? ▼
1,717 babies have been named Gaines since 1882. All-time, it sits at #3,628 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #5,050 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 1915 with 32 births.
Where does Gaines sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Gaines ranks #3,628 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #5,050 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Gaines most popular? ▼
Gaines was most popular in the 1920s decade with 239 total births. The single peak year was 1915.
Where is Gaines most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Gaines are Alabama (169 births), Georgia (30 births), Tennessee (23 births).
How long has the name Gaines been used? ▼
Records for Gaines go back to 1882, giving 144 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Gaines? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Gail, Gaige, Gaither, Gaius, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Gaines's data

  • Gaines's usage has stayed within range of its 1920s decade-level peak (239 total births) through the 2020s (118) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • Alabama records the most Gainess (169 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Alabama names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Gaines

Nearby Names Like Gaines

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Gaines

Gail Boy
8,952 births
Gaige Boy
#9188 4,417 births
Gaither Boy
642 births
Gaius Boy
#3599 529 births
Gailen Boy
250 births

Compare Gaines side by side: Gaines vs Gail Gaines vs Gaige Gaines vs Gaither

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Gaines

Margarito #5049
4,887 births · Peak 1928
Vergil #5051
1,968 births · Peak 1920
Cass #5048
1,860 births · Peak 1989
Silver #5052
528 births · Peak 2024
Gardner #5047
3,016 births · Peak 1915
Cephas #5053
930 births · Peak 1921
Oran #5046
4,447 births · Peak 1922
Berlin #5054
1,635 births · Peak 1916

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Gaines: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1882–2025 (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 Gaines 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.