Boys' name · since 1913

Gentle

Gentle has 201 recorded births since 1913 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1918 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#12,916 of 45,481
all-time among boys
201
born since 1913
1920s
peak decade

Gentle is not among the current top-ranked boys names; 201 have been recorded since 1913.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Gentle has been recorded 201 times among boys since 1913, though it is not among the currently most-used boys names, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1913 to 1968.

  • #12,916 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • 201 born since 1913
  • 1920s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Gentle ranks #12,916 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 201 born since 1913, peaking in the 1920s.

#12,916 of 45,481
all-time among boys
201
born since 1913
1920s
peak decade
Below the archive median
All-time archive position

Gentle's 201 recorded births place it above 71.55% 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.

Gentle's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Gentle's full recorded timeline at 1934, 48% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 52% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1913, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1918 peak of 13 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Gentle popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1913–1968

Last recorded 1968
Peak year (1918)
13
Annual births at peak, across 56 years of records
468101214 19131919192419321938194719541968 5

Gentle by decade

1920s is the heaviest window (49 births, 24% of the file).

1920s was Gentle's strongest decade.

49 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.

Gentle births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1920s at 49 births (24% of all-time use).

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Gentle? ▼
201 babies have been named Gentle since 1913. All-time, it sits at #12,916 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. It was last recorded in 1968. The peak year was 1918 with 13 births.
Where does Gentle sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Gentle ranks #12,916 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 Gentle most popular? ▼
Gentle was most popular in the 1920s decade with 49 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
How long has the name Gentle been used? ▼
Records for Gentle go back to 1913, giving 56 years of history through 1968.
What names are similar to Gentle? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Gene, Genaro, Gentry, General, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Gentle's data

  • Gentle's decade-level peak was the 1920s (49 total births); usage has since declined to 10 in the 1960s -- 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 Gentle

Nearby Names Like Gentle

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

Gene Boy
#2233 126,877 births
Genaro Boy
#2264 7,669 births
Gentry Boy
#1809 4,287 births
General Boy
4,025 births
Geno Boy
#2727 3,725 births

Compare Gentle side by side: Gentle vs Gene Gentle vs Genaro Gentle vs Gentry

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar number of total births

Blease
201 births · Peak 1913
Gerhart
201 births · Peak 1915
Lealon
201 births · Peak 1921
Emmert
201 births · Peak 1919
Bradie
201 births · Peak 2009
Paz
201 births · Peak 1930
Samuell
201 births · Peak 1999
Sequoyah
201 births · Peak 1999

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Gentle: 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, 1913–1968 (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 Gentle 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.