US rank #3322 Boys' name Peak 1917 4,237 births

Gustav — #3322 US boys' name

4,237 babies named Gustav 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.

1880s3251890s2181900s1661910s7231920s6121930s3391940s2391950s1951960s1711970s1491980s1431990s2072000s2962010s2852020s169
#3322
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 77% of names given to boys today.

1910s
Peak decade

17% of everyone ever named Gustav was born in this single decade.

1917
Single peak year

99 babies were named Gustav in 1917 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Gustav

The Social Security Administration has registered 4,237 babies named Gustav between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Gustav currently holds the #3322 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1917, when 99 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Gustav performed strongest in the 1910s, accumulating 723 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Gustav shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 374 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Pennsylvania and Illinois. In total, SSA state-level files list Gustav in 13 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Gustav 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 4,237 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.

Gustav at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

4,237

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1917

99 births that year

Strongest decade: 1910s

Current rank

#3,322

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Gustav popularity over time

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

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1917)
99
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
050100150 202420051986196719481929191018911880 33

Gustav by decade

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

Peak: 1910s
Peak decade
1910s
723 births that decade — 17% of Gustav's all-time total
1880s3251890s2181900s1661910s7231920s6121930s3391940s2391950s1951960s1711970s1491980s1431990s2072000s2962010s2852020s169

Gustav by state

Where Gustav concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Gustav
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
374 8.8%
#2 Pennsylvania
157 3.7%
#3 Illinois
141 3.3%
#4 New Jersey
96 2.3%
#5 Minnesota
59 1.4%
#6 Wisconsin
50 1.2%
#7 Ohio
31 0.7%
#8 California
28 0.7%
New York share of Gustav's total US births 8.8%
Even split

374 of 4,237 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 13 reporting states.

Gustav appears in 13 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Gustav?
4,237 babies have been named Gustav since 1880. It currently ranks #3322 among boys. The peak year was 1917 with 99 births.
When was Gustav most popular?
Gustav was most popular in the 1910s decade with 723 total births. The single peak year was 1917.
Where is Gustav most popular?
The top states for the name Gustav are New York (374 births), Pennsylvania (157 births), Illinois (141 births).
How long has the name Gustav been used?
Gustav has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Gustav?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Gustavo, Gus, Gustave, Gust, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Gustav

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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.