Boys' name · since 1880
Gustaf
747 babies named Gustaf in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1917. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #6,167 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 747
- born since 1880
- 1910s
- peak decade
Gustaf sits outside today's top ranks for boys, with 747 recorded since 1880.
Gustaf has 747 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 1910s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2023.
- #6,167 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 747 born since 1880
- 1910s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Gustaf ranks #6,167 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 747 born since 1880, peaking in the 1910s.
- #6,167 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 747
- born since 1880
- 1910s
- peak decade
Gustaf's 747 recorded births place it above 86.43% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 5 jurisdictions, led by Massachusetts.
Gustaf's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Gustaf splits its recorded history at 1930: 39% of all births land in the more recent half, 61% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1881 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1917 peak of 25 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Gustaf popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2023
- Peak year (1917)
- 25
- Annual births at peak, across 144 years of records
Gustaf by decade
1910s is the heaviest window (149 births, 20% of the file).
1910s was Gustaf's strongest decade.
149 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Gustaf births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s
1880s
66 births
- 1890s
1890s
66 births
- 1900s 55
1900s
55 births
- 1910s
1910s
149 births
- 1920s
1920s
116 births
- 1930s 35
1930s
35 births
- 1940s 6
1940s
6 births
- 1950s 33
1950s
33 births
- 1960s 10
1960s
10 births
- 1970s 12
1970s
12 births
- 1980s 32
1980s
32 births
- 1990s 43
1990s
43 births
- 2000s
2000s
61 births
- 2010s 50
2010s
50 births
- 2020s 13
2020s
13 births
What this shows Peak: 1910s at 149 births (20% of all-time use).
How Gustaf compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Gustaf's total volume
Gustaf by state
Where Gustaf concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Massachusetts | | 14 | 1.9% |
| #2 | Minnesota | | 6 | 0.8% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 5 | 0.7% |
| #4 | New York | | 5 | 0.7% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 5 | 0.7% |
14 of 747 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 5 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Gustaf's data
- Gustaf's decade-level peak was the 1910s (149 total births); usage has since declined to 13 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Massachusetts records the most Gustafs (14 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Massachusetts names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Gustaf
Nearby Names Like Gustaf
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Gustaf
Compare Gustaf side by side: Gustaf vs Gustavo Gustaf vs Gus Gustaf vs Gustave
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Gustaf: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1917)
Similar record span (~143 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, 1880–2023 (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 Gustaf 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.