Boys' name · since 1916

Gareth

Gareth has 4,389 recorded births since 1916 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2016 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#1,945 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#2,773 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
4,389
born since 1916
2010s
peak decade

4,389 babies have been named Gareth since 1916, making it today's #2773 boys' name.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Gareth has been recorded 4,389 times among boys since 1916, currently ranked #2773 nationally and more common than 80% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1916 to 2025.

  • #1,945 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #2,773 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 4,389 born since 1916
  • 2010s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Gareth ranks #1,945 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,773 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 4,389 born since 1916, peaking in the 2010s.

#1,945 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#2,773 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
4,389
born since 1916
2010s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%80%
Gareth vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Gareth's 4,389 recorded births place it above 95.72% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

17 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

17 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Gareth compares

4,389 Top 14% higher than 86% 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

Gareth's all-time total is 12x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Gareth Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 4,389 369 358,536
Peak-year births 104 34 22,252

Gareth's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Gareth splits its recorded history at 1972: 73% of all births land in the more recent half, 27% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1916 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2016 peak of 104 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Gareth popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1916–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (2016)
104
Annual births at peak, across 110 years of records
050100150 191619321946196019741988200220162025 46

Gareth popularity over time - girls

5 total births recorded since 1956 (Gareth as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 5 births
5 1956 5

Gareth by decade

2010s is the heaviest window (720 births, 16% of the file).

2010s was Gareth's strongest decade.

720 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 16% of all-time use.

Gareth births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2010s at 720 births (16% of all-time use).

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

How Gareth 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 Gareth's total volume

Gareth vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8%10%12% 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 -53, 4.9%-50, 7.1%-37, 8.1%-68, 4.3%-56, 5.4%-65, 5%-30, 5.8%-139, 2.2%-68, 6.5%-146, 2.4%-146, 5.8%-38, 8.6%-52, 11%-40, 5%-146, 2.2%Gareth-110, 2.4%Gareth
Gareth vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Gareth by state

Where Gareth concentrates geographically, total births since 1916

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Gareth
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
380 8.7%
#2 Texas
217 4.9%
#3 New York
147 3.3%
#4 Florida
74 1.7%
#5 Pennsylvania
38 0.9%
#6 Virginia
26 0.6%
#7 New Jersey
25 0.6%
#8 North Carolina
22 0.5%
California share of Gareth's total US births 8.7%
Even split

380 of 4,389 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 17 reporting states.

Gareth appears in 17 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Gareth?
4,389 babies have been named Gareth since 1916. All-time, it sits at #1,945 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #2,773 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 2016 with 104 births.
Where does Gareth sit in the SSA name archive?
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Gareth ranks #1,945 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,773 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 Gareth most popular?
Gareth was most popular in the 2010s decade with 720 total births. The single peak year was 2016.
Where is Gareth most popular?
The top states for the name Gareth are California (380 births), Texas (217 births), New York (147 births).
How long has the name Gareth been used?
Records for Gareth go back to 1916, giving 110 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Gareth?
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 Gareth's data

  • Gareth's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (720 total births) through the 2020s (289) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • California records the most Gareths (380 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names

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

Keep exploring Gareth

Nearby Names Like Gareth

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

Names with a similar popularity rank to Gareth

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Gareth: 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, 1916–2025 (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 Gareth 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.