Recorded 1880–2023 Boys' name Peak 1917 747 births

Gustaf — boys' name

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.

1880s661890s661900s551910s1491920s1161930s351940s61950s331960s101970s121980s321990s432000s612010s502020s13
1910s
Peak decade

20% of everyone ever named Gustaf was born in this single decade.

1917
Single peak year

25 babies were named Gustaf in 1917 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Gustaf

The Social Security Administration has registered 747 babies named Gustaf between 1880 and 2023, spanning 144 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Gustaf currently falls outside the top 1,000 boys' names for 2023. The name reached its historical peak in 1917, when 25 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Gustaf performed strongest in the 1910s, accumulating 149 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Gustaf shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in Massachusetts, which accounts for 14 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Minnesota and Illinois. In total, SSA state-level files list Gustaf in 5 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Gustaf 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 747 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.

Gustaf at a glance

Last recorded 2023

Total births

747

Since 1880

144 years of records

Peak year

1917

25 births that year

Strongest decade: 1910s

Current rank

Unranked

Outside the modern top-1,000

As of 2023

Active since

1880

Recorded for 144 years

Last year on file: 2023

Gustaf popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2023–1880

Last recorded 2023
Peak year (1917)
25
Annual births at peak — across 144 years of records
051015202530 202320051989195419261914189918851880 6

Gustaf by decade

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

Peak: 1910s
Peak decade
1910s
149 births that decade — 20% of Gustaf's all-time total
1880s661890s661900s551910s1491920s1161930s351940s61950s331960s101970s121980s321990s432000s612010s502020s13

Gustaf by state

Where Gustaf concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 5 states by recorded births for the name Gustaf
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%
Massachusetts share of Gustaf's total US births 1.9%
Even split

14 of 747 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 5 reporting states.

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Gustaf?
747 babies have been named Gustaf since 1880. It was last recorded in 2023. The peak year was 1917 with 25 births.
When was Gustaf most popular?
Gustaf was most popular in the 1910s decade with 149 total births. The single peak year was 1917.
Where is Gustaf most popular?
The top states for the name Gustaf are Massachusetts (14 births), Minnesota (6 births), Illinois (5 births).
How long has the name Gustaf been used?
Gustaf has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 144 years of data through 2023.
What names are similar to Gustaf?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Gustavo, Gus, Gustave, Gustav, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

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, 1880–2023 (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.