Boys' name · since 1920

Gar

219 babies named Gar in U.S. Social Security records since 1920, with the highest year being 1958. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#12,400 of 45,481
all-time among boys
219
born since 1920
1950s
peak decade

Gar sits outside today's top ranks for boys, with 219 recorded since 1920.

Social Security Administration records show Gar recorded 219 times among boys since 1920, though it doesn't currently rank among the most-used boys names, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1920 to 1991.

  • #12,400 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • 219 born since 1920
  • 1950s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Gar ranks #12,400 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 219 born since 1920, peaking in the 1950s.

#12,400 of 45,481
all-time among boys
219
born since 1920
1950s
peak decade
Below the archive median
All-time archive position

Gar's 219 recorded births place it above 72.69% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

National only
State-record footprint

No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.

Gar's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Gar's full recorded timeline at 1957, 54% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 46% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1920, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1958 peak of 16 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Gar popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1920–1991

Last recorded 1991
Peak year (1958)
16
Annual births at peak, across 72 years of records
05101520 19201936195019541959196319691991 5

Gar by decade

1950s is the heaviest window (84 births, 38% of the file).

1950s was Gar's strongest decade.

84 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 38% of all-time use.

Gar births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1950s at 84 births (38% of all-time use).

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Gar? ▼
219 babies have been named Gar since 1920. All-time, it sits at #12,400 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. It was last recorded in 1991. The peak year was 1958 with 16 births.
Where does Gar sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Gar ranks #12,400 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the null SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Gar most popular? ▼
Gar was most popular in the 1950s decade with 84 total births. The single peak year was 1958.
How long has the name Gar been used? ▼
Records for Gar go back to 1920, giving 72 years of history through 1991.
What names are similar to Gar? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Gary, Garrett, Garry, Garland, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Gar's data

  • Gar's decade-level peak was the 1950s (84 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 1990s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.

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

Keep exploring Gar

Nearby Names Like Gar

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

Gary Boy
#1073 902,152 births
Garrett Boy
#564 135,762 births
Garry Boy
#5869 47,670 births
Garland Boy
#6812 23,857 births
Garret Boy
#7202 13,247 births

Compare Gar side by side: Gar vs Gary Gar vs Garrett Gar vs Garry

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar number of total births

Phares
219 births · Peak 1924
Beuford
219 births · Peak 1920
Yoshi #9822
219 births · Peak 2011
Kenneith
219 births · Peak 1959
Skippy
219 births · Peak 1950
Mardy
219 births · Peak 1960
Derryck
219 births · Peak 1990
Tarance
219 births · Peak 1980

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Gar: 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, 1920–1991 (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 Gar 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.