Girls' name · since 1915
Gretel
1,514 babies named Gretel in U.S. Social Security records since 1915, with the highest year being 2022. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #5,664 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #3,258 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,514
- born since 1915
- 2010s
- peak decade
Gretel currently ranks #3258 among girls' names in America, with 1,514 babies recorded since 1915.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Gretel has been recorded 1,514 times among girls since 1915, currently ranked #3258 nationally and more common than 81% 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 1915 to 2025.
- #5,664 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #3,258 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 1,514 born since 1915
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Gretel ranks #5,664 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,258 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 1,514 born since 1915, peaking in the 2010s.
- #5,664 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #3,258 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,514
- born since 1915
- 2010s
- peak decade
Gretel's 1,514 recorded births place it above 92.17% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 5 jurisdictions, led by Texas.
How Gretel compares
1,514 Top 26% higher than 74% of 17,297 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
Gretel's all-time total is 4x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Gretel | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,514 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 68 | 21 | 19,840 |
Gretel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Gretel splits its recorded history at 1979: 76% of all births land in the more recent half, 24% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1922 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2022 peak of 68 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Gretel popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1915–2025
- Peak year (2022)
- 68
- Annual births at peak, across 111 years of records
Gretel by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (435 births, 29% of the file).
2010s was Gretel's strongest decade.
435 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 29% of all-time use.
Gretel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 13
1910s
13 births
- 1920s 31
1920s
31 births
- 1930s 69
1930s
69 births
- 1940s 25
1940s
25 births
- 1950s 51
1950s
51 births
- 1960s 87
1960s
87 births
- 1970s 114
1970s
114 births
- 1980s 99
1980s
99 births
- 1990s 90
1990s
90 births
- 2000s
2000s
193 births
- 2010s
2010s
435 births
- 2020s
2020s
307 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 435 births (29% of all-time use).
How Gretel 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 Gretel's total volume
Gretel by state
Where Gretel concentrates geographically, total births since 1915
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 183 | 12.1% |
| #2 | California | | 140 | 9.2% |
| #3 | Florida | | 10 | 0.7% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 10 | 0.7% |
| #5 | South Carolina | | 5 | 0.3% |
183 of 1,514 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 5 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Gretel? ▼
Where does Gretel sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Gretel most popular? ▼
Where is Gretel most popular? ▼
How long has the name Gretel been used? ▼
What names are similar to Gretel? ▼
What to do with Gretel's data
- Gretel's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (435 total births) through the 2020s (307) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Texas records the most Gretels (183 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Gretel
Nearby Names Like Gretel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Gretel
Compare Gretel side by side: Gretel vs Gretchen Gretel vs Greta Gretel vs Grecia
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Gretel
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Gretel: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2022)
Similar record span (~110 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1915–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Gretel 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 August 2026.