Boys' name · since 1880
Gary
902,152 babies named Gary in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1952. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #34 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,073 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 902,152
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Yes -- Gary is the #1073 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 902,152 recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Gary has been recorded 902,152 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #1073 nationally and more common than 92% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1950s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #34 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,073 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 902,152 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Gary ranks #34 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,073 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 902,152 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #34 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,073 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 902,152
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Gary's 902,152 recorded births place it above 99.92% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Gary compares
902,152 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Gary's all-time total is 2,445x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Gary | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 902,152 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 38,754 | 34 | 22,252 |
Gary's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Gary's SSA record in two at 1954 and the more recent half accounts for 54% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 46%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1884, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1952 peak of 38,754, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Gary popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1952)
- 38,754
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Gary popularity over time - girls
3,286 total births recorded since 1915 (Gary as girls' name)
Gary by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (329,933 births, 37% of the file).
1950s was Gary's strongest decade.
329,933 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 37% of all-time use.
Gary births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 54
1880s
54 births
- 1890s 102
1890s
102 births
- 1900s 142
1900s
142 births
- 1910s 562
1910s
562 births
- 1920s 1,515
1920s
1,515 births
- 1930s 43,596
1930s
43,596 births
- 1940s
1940s
217,772 births
- 1950s
1950s
329,933 births
- 1960s
1960s
166,031 births
- 1970s 68,261
1970s
68,261 births
- 1980s 40,230
1980s
40,230 births
- 1990s 19,194
1990s
19,194 births
- 2000s 8,879
2000s
8,879 births
- 2010s 4,512
2010s
4,512 births
- 2020s 1,369
2020s
1,369 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 329,933 births (37% of all-time use).
How Gary 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 Gary's total volume
Gary by state
Where Gary concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 77,452 | 8.6% |
| #2 | New York | | 62,829 | 7.0% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 56,891 | 6.3% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 49,479 | 5.5% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 49,242 | 5.5% |
| #6 | Texas | | 46,699 | 5.2% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 44,647 | 4.9% |
| #8 | Missouri | | 28,979 | 3.2% |
77,452 of 902,152 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Gary appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Gary? ▼
Where does Gary sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Gary most popular? ▼
Where is Gary most popular? ▼
How long has the name Gary been used? ▼
What names are similar to Gary? ▼
What to do with Gary's data
- Gary's decade-level peak was the 1950s (329,933 total births); usage has since declined to 1,369 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Garys (77,452 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 Gary
Nearby Names Like Gary
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Gary
Compare Gary side by side: Gary vs Garrett Gary vs Garry Gary vs Garland
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Gary
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Gary: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1952)
Similar record span (~145 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, 1880–2025 (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 Gary 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.