Total births
10,290
Boys' name · since 1882
German
German has 10,290 recorded births since 1882 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1991 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1652
- among boys today
- 10,290
- born since 1882
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 88%
- more common than other boys
German currently ranks #1652 among boys' names in America, with 10,290 babies recorded since 1882.
German has 10,290 recorded births among boys since 1882, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1652 as of the latest data, more common than 88% of boys, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1882 to 2025.
- #1652 among boys today
- 10,290 born since 1882
- 1990s peak decade
- 88% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
German is currently the #1652 boys' name in America, more common than 88% of boys - 10,290 born since 1882, peaking in the 1990s.
- #1652
- among boys today
- 10,290
- born since 1882
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 88%
- more common than other boys
German vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#1652
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 88% of names given to boys today.
1990s
Peak decade
24% of everyone ever named German was born in this single decade.
1991
Single peak year
304 babies were named German in 1991 - its busiest year on record.
How German compares
10,290 Top 8% higher than 92% of 14,294 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
German's all-time total is 28x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | German | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 10,290 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 304 | 23 | 22,252 |
German's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting German's full recorded timeline at 1967, 91% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 9% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1882, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1991 peak of 304 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
German at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1991
Current rank
#1,652
Active since
1882
German popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2025
- Peak year (1991)
- 304
- Annual births at peak, across 144 years of records
German popularity over time - girls
5 total births recorded since 1993 (German as girls' name)
German by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was German's strongest decade.
2,488 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
German births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 5
1880s
5 births
- 1900s 14
1900s
14 births
- 1910s 93
1910s
93 births
- 1920s 117
1920s
117 births
- 1930s 92
1930s
92 births
- 1940s 99
1940s
99 births
- 1950s 212
1950s
212 births
- 1960s 371
1960s
371 births
- 1970s 766
1970s
766 births
- 1980s
1980s
1,349 births
- 1990s
1990s
2,488 births
- 2000s
2000s
2,402 births
- 2010s
2010s
1,585 births
- 2020s 697
2020s
697 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 2,488 births (24% of all-time use).
How German 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 German's total volume
German vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
German by state
Where German concentrates geographically, total births since 1882
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 3,417 | 33.2% |
| #2 | Texas | | 1,647 | 16.0% |
| #3 | New York | | 762 | 7.4% |
| #4 | Arizona | | 506 | 4.9% |
| #5 | Florida | | 401 | 3.9% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 372 | 3.6% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 202 | 2.0% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 118 | 1.1% |
California share of German's total US births 33.2%
Even split
3,417 of 10,290 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 21 reporting states.
German appears in 21 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name German? ▼
10,290 babies have been named German since 1882. It currently ranks #1652 among boys. The peak year was 1991 with 304 births.
When was German most popular? ▼
German was most popular in the 1990s decade with 2,488 total births. The single peak year was 1991.
Where is German most popular? ▼
The top states for the name German are California (3,417 births), Texas (1,647 births), New York (762 births).
How long has the name German been used? ▼
Records for German go back to 1882, giving 144 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to German? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Gerald, Gerard, Gerardo, Gerry, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with German's data
- German's decade-level peak was the 1990s (2,488 total births); usage has since declined to 697 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Germans (3,417 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring German
Nearby Names Like German
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to German
Gerald Boy
#1171 448,966 births
Gerard Boy
#1532 58,820 births
Gerardo Boy
#595 55,015 births
Gerry Boy
#8351 14,468 births
Gerson Boy
#1838 4,323 births
Compare German side by side: German vs Gerald German vs Gerard German vs Gerardo
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to German
Ransom #1651
4,859 births · Peak 2022
Brent #1653
139,799 births · Peak 1970
Chester #1650
121,474 births · Peak 1920
Haze #1654
1,232 births · Peak 2023
Vyom #1649
725 births · Peak 2023
Alister #1655
1,659 births · Peak 2022
Jessiah #1648
2,285 births · Peak 2020
Montana #1656
4,040 births · Peak 1995
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1882–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "German: #1652 Boys' Name - 10,290 Births, Peak 1991." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/german. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 German 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 June 2026.