Total births
27,786
Girls' name · since 1885
Greta
Greta has 27,786 recorded births since 1885 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1967 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #861
- among girls today
- 27,786
- born since 1885
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Greta is the #861 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 27,786 recorded since 1885.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Greta has been recorded 27,786 times among girls since 1885, currently ranked #861 nationally and more common than 95% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1885 to 2025.
- #861 among girls today
- 27,786 born since 1885
- 2010s peak decade
- 95% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Greta is currently the #861 girls' name in America, more common than 95% of girls - 27,786 born since 1885, peaking in the 2010s.
- #861
- among girls today
- 27,786
- born since 1885
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other girls
Greta vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#861
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 95% of names given to girls today.
2010s
Peak decade
17% of everyone ever named Greta was born in this single decade.
1967
Single peak year
534 babies were named Greta in 1967 - its busiest year on record.
How Greta compares
27,786 Top 5% higher than 95% 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
Greta's all-time total is 73x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Greta | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 27,786 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 534 | 48 | 19,840 |
Greta's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Greta's full recorded timeline at 1955, 73% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 27% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1886, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1967 peak of 534 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Greta at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1967
Current rank
#861
Active since
1885
Greta popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1885–2025
- Peak year (1967)
- 534
- Annual births at peak, across 141 years of records
Greta popularity over time - boys
5 total births recorded since 1934 (Greta as boys' name)
Greta by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Greta's strongest decade.
4,712 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Greta births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 44
1880s
44 births
- 1890s 190
1890s
190 births
- 1900s 271
1900s
271 births
- 1910s 741
1910s
741 births
- 1920s 1,168
1920s
1,168 births
- 1930s
1930s
2,879 births
- 1940s 1,266
1940s
1,266 births
- 1950s
1950s
2,309 births
- 1960s
1960s
3,462 births
- 1970s
1970s
2,210 births
- 1980s 1,416
1980s
1,416 births
- 1990s 1,445
1990s
1,445 births
- 2000s
2000s
3,755 births
- 2010s
2010s
4,712 births
- 2020s
2020s
1,918 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 4,712 births (17% of all-time use).
How Greta 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 Greta's total volume
Greta vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Greta by state
Where Greta concentrates geographically, total births since 1885
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Minnesota | | 1,981 | 7.1% |
| #2 | New York | | 1,776 | 6.4% |
| #3 | California | | 1,639 | 5.9% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 1,367 | 4.9% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 1,345 | 4.8% |
| #6 | Texas | | 1,075 | 3.9% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 1,071 | 3.9% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 995 | 3.6% |
Minnesota share of Greta's total US births 7.1%
Even split
1,981 of 27,786 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 47 reporting states.
Greta appears in 47 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Greta? ▼
27,786 babies have been named Greta since 1885. It currently ranks #861 among girls. The peak year was 1967 with 534 births.
When was Greta most popular? ▼
Greta was most popular in the 2010s decade with 4,712 total births. The single peak year was 1967.
Where is Greta most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Greta are Minnesota (1,981 births), New York (1,776 births), California (1,639 births).
How long has the name Greta been used? ▼
Greta has been recorded in Social Security data since 1885, spanning 141 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Greta? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Gretchen, Grecia, Gretta, Greer, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Greta's data
- Greta's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (4,712 total births) through the 2020s (1,918) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Minnesota records the most Gretas (1,981 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Minnesota 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 Greta
Nearby Names Like Greta
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Greta
Gretchen Girl
#3463 53,799 births
Grecia Girl
#1159 6,318 births
Gretta Girl
#4391 4,139 births
Greer Girl
#1987 3,085 births
Gregory Girl
2,860 births
Compare Greta side by side: Greta vs Gretchen Greta vs Grecia Greta vs Gretta
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Greta
Teresa #860
416,044 births · Peak 1961
Anika #862
16,804 births · Peak 2006
Dalia #859
14,291 births · Peak 1994
Kaiya #863
8,587 births · Peak 2002
Marianna #858
18,444 births · Peak 2006
Bellamy #864
3,745 births · Peak 2022
Aliya #857
11,075 births · Peak 2012
Luisa #865
14,372 births · Peak 2022
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, 1885–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Greta: #861 Girls' Name - 27,786 Births, Peak 1967." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/greta. 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 Greta 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.