Boys' name · since 1880
General
General has 4,025 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1918 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #2,077 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 4,025
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
General sits outside today's top ranks for boys, with 4,025 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show General recorded 4,025 times among boys since 1880, though it doesn't currently rank among the most-used boys names, 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 1880 to 2024.
- #2,077 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 4,025 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, General ranks #2,077 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 4,025 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #2,077 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 4,025
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
General's 4,025 recorded births place it above 95.43% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
15 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Georgia.
General's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
General splits its recorded history at 1951: 23% of all births land in the more recent half, 77% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1981 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1918 peak of 105 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
General popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2024
- Peak year (1918)
- 105
- Annual births at peak, across 145 years of records
General by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (698 births, 17% of the file).
1920s was General's strongest decade.
698 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
General births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s
1880s
290 births
- 1890s 278
1890s
278 births
- 1900s 229
1900s
229 births
- 1910s
1910s
575 births
- 1920s
1920s
698 births
- 1930s
1930s
505 births
- 1940s
1940s
473 births
- 1950s
1950s
289 births
- 1960s 181
1960s
181 births
- 1970s 126
1970s
126 births
- 1980s 72
1980s
72 births
- 1990s 74
1990s
74 births
- 2000s 77
2000s
77 births
- 2010s 113
2010s
113 births
- 2020s 45
2020s
45 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 698 births (17% of all-time use).
How General 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 General's total volume
General by state
Where General concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Georgia | | 280 | 7.0% |
| #2 | Alabama | | 276 | 6.9% |
| #3 | North Carolina | | 199 | 4.9% |
| #4 | Kentucky | | 122 | 3.0% |
| #5 | South Carolina | | 115 | 2.9% |
| #6 | Texas | | 102 | 2.5% |
| #7 | Tennessee | | 84 | 2.1% |
| #8 | Arkansas | | 71 | 1.8% |
280 of 4,025 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 15 reporting states.
General appears in 15 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with General's data
- General's decade-level peak was the 1920s (698 total births); usage has since declined to 45 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Georgia records the most Generals (280 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Georgia names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring General
Nearby Names Like General
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to General
Compare General side by side: General vs Gene General vs Genaro General vs Gentry
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for General: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1918)
Similar record span (~144 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, 1880–2024 (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 General 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.