Boys' name · since 1880
Glen
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 125,706 babies named Glen, peaking in 1957. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #268 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,021 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 125,706
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
125,706 babies have been named Glen since 1880, making it today's #2021 boys' name.
Glen has 125,706 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #2021 as of the latest data, more common than 85% of boys, busiest in the 1950s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #268 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #2,021 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 125,706 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Glen ranks #268 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,021 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 125,706 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #268 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,021 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 125,706
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Glen's 125,706 recorded births place it above 99.41% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Glen compares
125,706 Top 2% higher than 98% 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
Glen's all-time total is 341x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Glen | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 125,706 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 2,924 | 34 | 22,252 |
Glen's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Glen's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 49% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 51%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1880, with only 24 births recorded -- set against the 1957 peak of 2,924, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Glen popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1957)
- 2,924
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Glen popularity over time - girls
1,348 total births recorded since 1884 (Glen as girls' name)
Glen by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (25,395 births, 20% of the file).
1950s was Glen's strongest decade.
25,395 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Glen births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 437
1880s
437 births
- 1890s 959
1890s
959 births
- 1900s 1,337
1900s
1,337 births
- 1910s 8,544
1910s
8,544 births
- 1920s
1920s
14,965 births
- 1930s
1930s
14,486 births
- 1940s
1940s
16,553 births
- 1950s
1950s
25,395 births
- 1960s
1960s
21,877 births
- 1970s 9,834
1970s
9,834 births
- 1980s 5,331
1980s
5,331 births
- 1990s 3,113
1990s
3,113 births
- 2000s 1,525
2000s
1,525 births
- 2010s 945
2010s
945 births
- 2020s 405
2020s
405 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 25,395 births (20% of all-time use).
How Glen 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 Glen's total volume
Glen by state
Where Glen concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 8,985 | 7.1% |
| #2 | Texas | | 6,967 | 5.5% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 6,896 | 5.5% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 5,527 | 4.4% |
| #5 | New York | | 5,471 | 4.4% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 5,222 | 4.2% |
| #7 | Missouri | | 4,644 | 3.7% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 4,096 | 3.3% |
8,985 of 125,706 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Glen appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Glen? ▼
Where does Glen sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Glen most popular? ▼
Where is Glen most popular? ▼
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What to do with Glen's data
- Glen's decade-level peak was the 1950s (25,395 total births); usage has since declined to 405 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Glens (8,985 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 Glen
Nearby Names Like Glen
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Glen
Compare Glen side by side: Glen vs Glenn Glen vs Glendon Glen vs Glenwood
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Glen
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Glen: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1957)
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 Glen 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.