Girls' name · since 1919
Gala
2,186 babies named Gala in U.S. Social Security records since 1919, with the highest year being 1965. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #4,438 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,487 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 2,186
- born since 1919
- 2010s
- peak decade
Yes -- Gala is the #2487 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 2,186 recorded since 1919.
Social Security Administration records show Gala recorded 2,186 times among girls since 1919, holding rank #2487 nationally today, ahead of 86% of girls, peaking in the 2010s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1919 to 2025.
- #4,438 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #2,487 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 2,186 born since 1919
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Gala ranks #4,438 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,487 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 2,186 born since 1919, peaking in the 2010s.
- #4,438 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,487 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 2,186
- born since 1919
- 2010s
- peak decade
Gala's 2,186 recorded births place it above 93.85% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
14 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Gala compares
2,186 Top 22% higher than 78% of 17,297 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
Gala's all-time total is 6x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Gala | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 2,186 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 99 | 21 | 19,840 |
Gala's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Gala splits its recorded history at 1975: 53% of all births land in the more recent half, 47% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1923 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1965 peak of 99 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Gala popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1919–2025
- Peak year (1965)
- 99
- Annual births at peak, across 107 years of records
Gala by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (460 births, 21% of the file).
2010s was Gala's strongest decade.
460 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Gala births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 6
1910s
6 births
- 1920s 21
1920s
21 births
- 1930s 61
1930s
61 births
- 1940s 139
1940s
139 births
- 1950s
1950s
247 births
- 1960s
1960s
417 births
- 1970s 182
1970s
182 births
- 1980s 66
1980s
66 births
- 1990s 93
1990s
93 births
- 2000s 120
2000s
120 births
- 2010s
2010s
460 births
- 2020s
2020s
374 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 460 births (21% of all-time use).
How Gala 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 Gala's total volume
Gala by state
Where Gala concentrates geographically, total births since 1919
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 319 | 14.6% |
| #2 | California | | 222 | 10.2% |
| #3 | Florida | | 78 | 3.6% |
| #4 | New York | | 17 | 0.8% |
| #5 | Georgia | | 14 | 0.6% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 13 | 0.6% |
| #7 | Oklahoma | | 11 | 0.5% |
| #8 | Missouri | | 10 | 0.5% |
319 of 2,186 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 14 reporting states.
Gala appears in 14 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Gala's data
- Gala's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (460 total births) through the 2020s (374) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Texas records the most Galas (319 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Gala
Nearby Names Like Gala
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Gala
Compare Gala side by side: Gala vs Gale Gala vs Galilea Gala vs Galilee
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Gala
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Gala: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1965)
Similar record span (~106 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, 1919–2025 (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 Gala 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.