Total births
534,935
Girls' name · since 1880
Grace
534,935 babies named Grace in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2003. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #40
- among girls today
- 534,935
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 99.8%
- more common than other girls
Grace currently ranks #40 among girls' names in America, with 534,935 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Grace has been recorded 534,935 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #40 nationally and more common than 99.8% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 2000s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #40 among girls today
- 534,935 born since 1880
- 2000s peak decade
- 99.8% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Grace is currently the #40 girls' name in America, more common than 99.8% of girls - 534,935 born since 1880, peaking in the 2000s.
- #40
- among girls today
- 534,935
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 99.8%
- more common than other girls
Grace vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#40
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 99.8% of names given to girls today.
2000s
Peak decade
21% of everyone ever named Grace was born in this single decade.
2003
Single peak year
12,781 babies were named Grace in 2003 - its busiest year on record.
How Grace compares
534,935 Top 0% higher than 100% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Grace's all-time total is 1,400x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Grace | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 534,935 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 12,781 | 48 | 19,840 |
Grace's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Grace splits its recorded history at 1953: 55% of all births land in the more recent half, 45% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1976 (526 births) -- compare that against the 2003 peak of 12,781 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Grace at a glance
Top 100 girls' namePeak year
2003
Current rank
#40
Active since
1880
Grace popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2003)
- 12,781
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Grace popularity over time - boys
1,405 total births recorded since 1880 (Grace as boys' name)
Grace by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Grace's strongest decade.
110,720 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Grace births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 15,227
1880s
15,227 births
- 1890s 23,804
1890s
23,804 births
- 1900s 26,927
1900s
26,927 births
- 1910s
1910s
57,973 births
- 1920s
1920s
60,060 births
- 1930s 31,357
1930s
31,357 births
- 1940s 19,370
1940s
19,370 births
- 1950s 15,929
1950s
15,929 births
- 1960s 11,213
1960s
11,213 births
- 1970s 6,096
1970s
6,096 births
- 1980s 11,796
1980s
11,796 births
- 1990s 39,872
1990s
39,872 births
- 2000s
2000s
110,720 births
- 2010s
2010s
73,058 births
- 2020s 31,533
2020s
31,533 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 110,720 births (21% of all-time use).
How Grace compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Grace's total volume
Grace vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Grace by state
Where Grace concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 44,957 | 8.4% |
| #2 | California | | 36,398 | 6.8% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 34,067 | 6.4% |
| #4 | Texas | | 24,577 | 4.6% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 24,176 | 4.5% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 21,606 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 18,276 | 3.4% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 17,464 | 3.3% |
New York share of Grace's total US births 8.4%
Even split
44,957 of 534,935 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Grace appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Grace? ▼
534,935 babies have been named Grace since 1880. It currently ranks #40 among girls. The peak year was 2003 with 12,781 births.
When was Grace most popular? ▼
Grace was most popular in the 2000s decade with 110,720 total births. The single peak year was 2003.
Where is Grace most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Grace are New York (44,957 births), California (36,398 births), Pennsylvania (34,067 births).
How long has the name Grace been used? ▼
Grace has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Grace? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Gracie, Graciela, Gracelyn, Gracelynn, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Grace's data
- Grace's decade-level peak was the 2000s (110,720 total births); usage has since declined to 31,533 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Graces (44,957 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 Grace
Nearby Names Like Grace
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Grace
Gracie Girl
#250 84,121 births
Graciela Girl
#1946 16,315 births
Gracelyn Girl
#466 15,917 births
Gracelynn Girl
#424 13,268 births
Grayce Girl
#8955 4,424 births
Compare Grace side by side: Grace vs Gracie Grace vs Graciela Grace vs Gracelyn
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Grace
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, 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. "Grace: #40 Girls' Name - 534,935 Births, Peak 2003." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/grace. 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 Grace 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.