Golden
Golden is given to both girls and boys: 45 girls and 51 boys were given it in 2025 (#3,416 among girls’ names and #2,583 among boys’, #3,639 among all names counting both); 5,229 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026). Boys have outnumbered girls among babies named Golden every year since 1919.
An estimated 2,200 Americans named Golden and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (42% of everyone recorded); the median is 20 years old and half are between 6 and 52.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Golden by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Golden mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Golden is “a male given name.”
As an English surname, from the adjective golden.
As an Irish surname, from mag Ualghairg; see McGoldrick.
/ˈɡoʊldən/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Golden?
#2,583 among boys’ names, 2025
Golden rose from #3,812 in 2015 to #2,583 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born rose from 14.6 to 29.9 per million.
128 babies in 1919, the peak
Golden peaked in 1919, when 128 babies were given it (66 boys, #805 among boys’ names). The 96 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 75% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Girls | Girls’ rank | Boys | Boys’ rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 45 | #3,416 | 51 | #2,583 |
| 2024 | 48 | #3,304 | 49 | #2,681 |
| 2023 | 54 | #3,054 | 67 | #2,155 |
| 2022 | 42 | #3,666 | 45 | #2,839 |
| 2021 | 36 | #4,046 | 48 | #2,666 |
| 2020 | 32 | #4,293 | 38 | #3,037 |
| 2019 | 37 | #3,950 | 44 | #2,822 |
| 2018 | 35 | #4,102 | 31 | #3,556 |
| 2017 | 34 | #4,248 | 32 | #3,470 |
| 2016 | 19 | #6,506 | 17 | #5,389 |
Every recorded year (145)
| Year | Girls | Girls’ rank | Boys | Boys’ rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 17 | #7,083 | 28 | #3,812 |
| 2014 | 16 | #7,426 | 25 | #4,047 |
| 2013 | 13 | #8,736 | 20 | #4,681 |
| 2012 | 10 | #10,694 | 23 | #4,297 |
| 2011 | 8 | #12,560 | 21 | #4,555 |
| 2010 | 9 | #11,589 | 18 | #5,107 |
| 2009 | 7 | #14,192 | 11 | #7,370 |
| 2008 | 8 | #13,007 | 11 | #7,364 |
| 2007 | 15 | #8,230 | 17 | #5,277 |
| 2006 | 16 | #7,611 | 12 | #6,599 |
| 2005 | 15 | #7,635 | 8 | #8,544 |
| 2004 | 6 | #14,782 | 17 | #4,858 |
| 2003 | under 5 | 8 | #8,101 | |
| 2002 | 10 | #9,749 | 10 | #6,702 |
| 2001 | 5 | #16,193 | 11 | #6,161 |
| 2000 | under 5 | 16 | #4,648 | |
| 1999 | under 5 | 8 | #7,388 | |
| 1998 | 6 | #12,998 | 10 | #5,978 |
| 1997 | under 5 | 10 | #5,787 | |
| 1996 | 7 | #10,972 | 10 | #5,681 |
| 1995 | under 5 | 10 | #5,641 | |
| 1994 | under 5 | 5 | #9,315 | |
| 1993 | under 5 | 8 | #6,417 | |
| 1992 | 8 | #9,792 | 8 | #6,330 |
| 1991 | 6 | #12,021 | 16 | #3,705 |
| 1990 | under 5 | 10 | #5,125 | |
| 1989 | 9 | #8,264 | 13 | #4,108 |
| 1988 | 9 | #7,924 | 9 | #4,932 |
| 1987 | 9 | #7,570 | 10 | #4,359 |
| 1986 | 6 | #9,951 | 10 | #4,239 |
| 1985 | 9 | #7,149 | 14 | #3,271 |
| 1984 | 8 | #7,622 | 13 | #3,345 |
| 1983 | 12 | #5,568 | 13 | #3,299 |
| 1982 | 6 | #9,605 | 9 | #4,353 |
| 1981 | 11 | #6,018 | 15 | #2,950 |
| 1980 | 6 | #9,480 | 20 | #2,471 |
| 1979 | 11 | #5,874 | 27 | #1,963 |
| 1978 | 6 | #8,905 | 23 | #2,096 |
| 1977 | 9 | #6,520 | 23 | #2,091 |
| 1976 | under 5 | 23 | #2,078 | |
| 1975 | 8 | #6,713 | 5 | #5,775 |
| 1974 | under 5 | 11 | #3,203 | |
| 1973 | under 5 | 10 | #3,292 | |
| 1972 | under 5 | 9 | #3,438 | |
| 1971 | under 5 | 8 | #3,764 | |
| 1970 | 7 | #6,573 | 11 | #2,963 |
| 1969 | under 5 | 6 | #4,118 | |
| 1968 | 7 | #5,839 | 7 | #3,482 |
| 1967 | 8 | #5,148 | 6 | #3,697 |
| 1966 | under 5 | 9 | #2,863 | |
| 1965 | 5 | #6,867 | 7 | #3,361 |
| 1964 | 7 | #5,654 | 11 | #2,587 |
| 1963 | 7 | #5,512 | 21 | #1,761 |
| 1962 | 6 | #6,117 | 12 | #2,428 |
| 1961 | 9 | #4,659 | under 5 | |
| 1960 | 5 | #6,700 | 11 | #2,594 |
| 1959 | under 5 | 9 | #2,908 | |
| 1958 | 5 | #6,428 | 22 | #1,701 |
| 1957 | 7 | #5,075 | 17 | #1,980 |
| 1956 | 10 | #4,006 | 16 | #2,038 |
| 1955 | 5 | #6,172 | 12 | #2,354 |
| 1954 | 7 | #4,850 | 19 | #1,786 |
| 1953 | 8 | #4,365 | 12 | #2,332 |
| 1952 | 13 | #3,090 | 32 | #1,329 |
| 1951 | 5 | #5,713 | 20 | #1,695 |
| 1950 | 7 | #4,468 | 15 | #1,966 |
| 1949 | 10 | #3,473 | 19 | #1,725 |
| 1948 | 8 | #3,999 | 21 | #1,628 |
| 1947 | 12 | #3,127 | 24 | #1,532 |
| 1946 | 14 | #2,654 | 20 | #1,615 |
| 1945 | 7 | #3,791 | 17 | #1,651 |
| 1944 | 15 | #2,327 | 21 | #1,499 |
| 1943 | 5 | #4,936 | 16 | #1,864 |
| 1942 | 8 | #3,545 | 21 | #1,556 |
| 1941 | 16 | #2,129 | 15 | #1,848 |
| 1940 | 15 | #2,143 | 15 | #1,836 |
| 1939 | 8 | #3,248 | 30 | #1,206 |
| 1938 | 14 | #2,272 | 24 | #1,383 |
| 1937 | 15 | #2,124 | 34 | #1,132 |
| 1936 | 12 | #2,427 | 26 | #1,305 |
| 1935 | 18 | #1,872 | 19 | #1,616 |
| 1934 | 12 | #2,483 | 22 | #1,477 |
| 1933 | 21 | #1,675 | 34 | #1,133 |
| 1932 | 15 | #2,174 | 29 | #1,275 |
| 1931 | 22 | #1,649 | 28 | #1,316 |
| 1930 | 19 | #1,897 | 38 | #1,141 |
| 1929 | 24 | #1,610 | 34 | #1,205 |
| 1928 | 33 | #1,348 | 38 | #1,152 |
| 1927 | 23 | #1,785 | 44 | #1,068 |
| 1926 | 24 | #1,744 | 36 | #1,202 |
| 1925 | 31 | #1,480 | 44 | #1,049 |
| 1924 | 44 | #1,193 | 54 | #954 |
| 1923 | 32 | #1,439 | 48 | #1,016 |
| 1922 | 50 | #1,082 | 44 | #1,063 |
| 1921 | 58 | #977 | 58 | #925 |
| 1920 | 44 | #1,143 | 51 | #967 |
| 1919 | 62 | #895 | 66 | #805 |
| 1918 | 58 | #940 | 40 | #1,085 |
| 1917 | 37 | #1,194 | 53 | #879 |
| 1916 | 56 | #908 | 48 | #920 |
| 1915 | 47 | #974 | 45 | #931 |
| 1914 | 35 | #1,010 | 40 | #860 |
| 1913 | 24 | #1,131 | 39 | #751 |
| 1912 | 32 | #896 | 40 | #675 |
| 1911 | 28 | #818 | 17 | #804 |
| 1910 | 25 | #864 | 21 | #643 |
| 1909 | 25 | #820 | 26 | #510 |
| 1908 | 21 | #860 | 14 | #724 |
| 1907 | 27 | #731 | 18 | #603 |
| 1906 | 28 | #695 | 16 | #600 |
| 1905 | 23 | #765 | 15 | #622 |
| 1904 | 18 | #862 | 17 | #546 |
| 1903 | 26 | #659 | 6 | #1,065 |
| 1902 | 19 | #804 | 14 | #598 |
| 1901 | 12 | #974 | 9 | #750 |
| 1900 | 26 | #711 | 13 | #708 |
| 1899 | 8 | #1,219 | 7 | #893 |
| 1898 | 24 | #671 | 18 | #493 |
| 1897 | 21 | #684 | 7 | #884 |
| 1896 | 17 | #799 | 8 | #851 |
| 1895 | 16 | #799 | 11 | #652 |
| 1894 | 9 | #1,097 | 11 | #647 |
| 1893 | 15 | #774 | 10 | #673 |
| 1892 | 21 | #627 | under 5 | |
| 1891 | 16 | #680 | 6 | #892 |
| 1890 | 18 | #624 | 9 | #694 |
| 1889 | 11 | #823 | 9 | #693 |
| 1888 | 9 | #916 | 10 | #669 |
| 1887 | 8 | #889 | 7 | #781 |
| 1886 | 13 | #645 | 8 | #720 |
| 1885 | 9 | #766 | under 5 | |
| 1884 | 8 | #816 | 5 | #1,038 |
| 1883 | under 5 | 5 | #952 | |
| 1881 | under 5 | 5 | #923 | |
| 1880 | under 5 | 7 | #772 |
Ranks: girls’ names and boys’ names ranked separately in each year’s SSA file; “under 5” is a year SSA did not list the name for that sex.
Is Golden a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 5,229 Americans recorded as Golden, 44% are girls and 56% boys.
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Golden: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Golden, and how old are they?
2,200 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 42% of the 5,229 Americans ever recorded as Golden. The median Golden alive today is 20 years old; half are between 6 and 52.
The 2020 Census counted 1,773 people named Golden (700 women and girls, 1,073 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 1,868 born in the U.S. The Census count is 5% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 142 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 310 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 246 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 261 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 322 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 917 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Golden born?
The states with the most babies named Golden are West Virginia, Kentucky and California, with 52% of its births recorded by state since 1910; West Virginia and Kentucky are not among the ten states with the most births.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Virginia | 153 | not ranked | 2.6× |
| Kentucky | 141 | not ranked | 1.4× |
| California | 107 | #2,590 | 0.3× |
| Texas | 79 | not ranked | 0.3× |
| Georgia | 63 | #1,141 | 0.4× |
| North Carolina | 42 | not ranked | 0.3× |
| Utah | 32 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| Louisiana | 25 | not ranked | 0.3× |
| Florida | 24 | not ranked | 0.2× |
| Virginia | 23 | not ranked | 0.2× |
Where Golden is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Golden is most over-represented in West Virginia: since 1910 it was given 2.6 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Golden with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Golden
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Golden and names like it
- Compare Golden and LemonBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1910sGolden peaked in 1919.
- West Virginia’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Golden since 1910.
- The top names of 1919The year the most babies were named Golden.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Golden alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with GMost given first.