US rank #539 Boys' name Peak 1962 711,405 births

Gregory — #539 US boys' name

711,405 babies named Gregory in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1962. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s391890s921900s1661910s10931920s21931930s37691940s432221950s1784531960s1874901970s1155731980s936681990s520872000s200732010s104692020s3018
#539
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 96% of names given to boys today.

1960s
Peak decade

26% of everyone ever named Gregory was born in this single decade.

1962
Single peak year

21,971 babies were named Gregory in 1962 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Gregory

The Social Security Administration has registered 711,405 babies named Gregory between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Gregory currently holds the #539 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1962, when 21,971 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Gregory performed strongest in the 1960s, accumulating 187,490 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Gregory shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in California, which accounts for 67,397 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by New York and Ohio. In total, SSA state-level files list Gregory in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Gregory in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 711,405 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Gregory at a glance

Top 1,000 boys' name

Total births

711,405

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1962

21,971 births that year

Strongest decade: 1960s

Current rank

#539

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Gregory popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (1962)
21,971
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-5,00005,00010,00015,00020,00025,000 202420061988197019521934191618981880 5

Gregory popularity over time — girls

2,861 total births recorded since 1929 (Gregory as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 2,861 births
020406080100 201219951986197719681959195019331929 5

Gregory by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1960s
Peak decade
1960s
187,490 births that decade — 26% of Gregory's all-time total
1880s391890s921900s1661910s10931920s21931930s37691940s432221950s1784531960s1874901970s1155731980s936681990s520872000s200732010s104692020s3018

Gregory by state

Where Gregory concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Gregory
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
67,397 9.5%
#2 New York
56,449 7.9%
#3 Ohio
45,475 6.4%
#4 Illinois
42,097 5.9%
#5 Pennsylvania
41,372 5.8%
#6 Michigan
35,849 5.0%
#7 Texas
30,649 4.3%
#8 New Jersey
22,627 3.2%
California share of Gregory's total US births 9.5%
Even split

67,397 of 711,405 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Gregory appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Gregory?
711,405 babies have been named Gregory since 1880. It currently ranks #539 among boys. The peak year was 1962 with 21,971 births.
When was Gregory most popular?
Gregory was most popular in the 1960s decade with 187,490 total births. The single peak year was 1962.
Where is Gregory most popular?
The top states for the name Gregory are California (67,397 births), New York (56,449 births), Ohio (45,475 births).
How long has the name Gregory been used?
Gregory has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Gregory?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Greg, Greyson, Gregg, Gregorio, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Gregory

Nearby Names Like Gregory

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Gregory

Names with a similar popularity rank to Gregory

Baby Name Guides

Learn more about naming trends and how to use data to choose a name

Explore more names

Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.