Total births
3,245
Boys' name · since 1880
Godfrey
3,245 babies named Godfrey in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1918. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #9902
- among boys today
- 3,245
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 31%
- more common than other boys
3,245 babies have been named Godfrey since 1880, making it today's #9902 boys' name.
Social Security Administration records show Godfrey recorded 3,245 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #9902 nationally today, ahead of 31% of boys, 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 2025.
- #9902 among boys today
- 3,245 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 31% more common than other boys
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
Godfrey is currently the #9902 boys' name in America, more common than 31% of boys - 3,245 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #9902
- among boys today
- 3,245
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 31%
- more common than other boys
Godfrey vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#9902
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 31% of names given to boys today.
1920s
Peak decade
14% of everyone ever named Godfrey was born in this single decade.
1918
Single peak year
71 babies were named Godfrey in 1918 - its busiest year on record.
How Godfrey compares
3,245 Top 16% higher than 84% 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
Godfrey's all-time total is 9x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Godfrey | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 3,245 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 71 | 23 | 22,252 |
Godfrey's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Godfrey's full recorded timeline at 1954, 41% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 59% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1903, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1918 peak of 71 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Godfrey at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1918
Current rank
#9,902
Active since
1880
Godfrey popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 71
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Godfrey by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Godfrey's strongest decade.
468 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 14% of all-time use.
Godfrey births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 84
1880s
84 births
- 1890s 79
1890s
79 births
- 1900s 85
1900s
85 births
- 1910s
1910s
395 births
- 1920s
1920s
468 births
- 1930s
1930s
299 births
- 1940s
1940s
369 births
- 1950s
1950s
372 births
- 1960s
1960s
269 births
- 1970s
1970s
209 births
- 1980s
1980s
196 births
- 1990s 166
1990s
166 births
- 2000s 86
2000s
86 births
- 2010s 107
2010s
107 births
- 2020s 61
2020s
61 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 468 births (14% of all-time use).
How Godfrey 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 Godfrey's total volume
Godfrey vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Godfrey by state
Where Godfrey concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 169 | 5.2% |
| #2 | Louisiana | | 78 | 2.4% |
| #3 | California | | 43 | 1.3% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 24 | 0.7% |
| #5 | Alabama | | 16 | 0.5% |
| #6 | Florida | | 16 | 0.5% |
| #7 | Texas | | 16 | 0.5% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 15 | 0.5% |
New York share of Godfrey's total US births 5.2%
Even split
169 of 3,245 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 15 reporting states.
Godfrey appears in 15 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Godfrey? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 3,245 babies named Godfrey. Today it holds rank #9902 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1918, with 71 births.
When was Godfrey most popular? ▼
Godfrey was most popular in the 1920s decade with 468 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Godfrey most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Godfrey are New York (169 births), Louisiana (78 births), California (43 births).
How long has the name Godfrey been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Godfrey since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Godfrey? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Godwin, Godric, Godson, God, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Godfrey's data
- Godfrey's decade-level peak was the 1920s (468 total births); usage has since declined to 61 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Godfreys (169 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York 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 Godfrey
Nearby Names Like Godfrey
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Godfrey
Godwin Boy
#6230 578 births
Godric Boy
#6417 387 births
Godson Boy
#10328 122 births
God Boy
#9218 61 births
Godswill Boy
52 births
Compare Godfrey side by side: Godfrey vs Godwin Godfrey vs Godric Godfrey vs Godson
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Godfrey
Data Sources
Data as of July 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Godfrey: #9902 Boys' Name - 3,245 Births, Peak 1918." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/godfrey. 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 Godfrey 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 July 2026.