Boys' name · since 1880

Hal

16,784 babies named Hal in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1956. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#911 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#3,132 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
16,784
born since 1880
1950s
peak decade

Yes -- Hal is the #3132 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 16,784 recorded since 1880.

Social Security Administration records show Hal recorded 16,784 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #3132 nationally today, ahead of 78% of boys, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.

  • #911 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #3,132 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 16,784 born since 1880
  • 1950s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Hal ranks #911 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,132 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 16,784 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.

#911 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#3,132 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
16,784
born since 1880
1950s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%77.5%
Hal vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Hal's 16,784 recorded births place it above 97.99% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

43 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

43 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.

How Hal compares

16,784 Top 7% higher than 93% of 13,930 names currently given to boys

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys 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

Hal's all-time total is 45x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Hal Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 16,784 369 358,536
Peak-year births 598 34 22,252

Hal's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Hal splits its recorded history at 1953: 46% of all births land in the more recent half, 54% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1880 (7 births) -- compare that against the 1956 peak of 598 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Hal popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1956)
598
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
0200400600800 188018991918193719561975199420132025 38

Hal popularity over time - girls

12 total births recorded since 1924 (Hal as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 12 births
6 19241926 6

Hal by decade

1950s is the heaviest window (4,423 births, 26% of the file).

1950s was Hal's strongest decade.

4,423 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.

Hal births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1950s at 4,423 births (26% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Hal 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 Hal's total volume

Hal vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -146, 2.9%-146, 2.7%-69, 3.4%-146, 2.3%-132, 2%-146, 4.1%-111, 2.2%-118, 4.6%-47, 7%-87, 4%-72, 5.5%-146, 2.7%-137, 2.6%-146, 2.6%-146, 2.2%Hal-146, 3.6%Hal
Hal vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Hal by state

Where Hal concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Hal
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Texas
1,202 7.2%
#2 North Carolina
1,131 6.7%
#3 California
1,051 6.3%
#4 New York
957 5.7%
#5 Illinois
616 3.7%
#6 Tennessee
594 3.5%
#7 Georgia
591 3.5%
#8 Utah
520 3.1%
Texas share of Hal's total US births 7.2%
Even split

1,202 of 16,784 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 43 reporting states.

Hal appears in 43 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Hal? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 16,784 babies named Hal. Across the full SSA archive it ranks #911 of 45,481 boys' names by total births. In 2025, it holds #3,132 of 13,930 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1956, with 598 births.
Where does Hal sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Hal ranks #911 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,132 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Hal most popular? ▼
Hal was most popular in the 1950s decade with 4,423 total births. The single peak year was 1956.
Where is Hal most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Hal are Texas (1,202 births), North Carolina (1,131 births), California (1,051 births).
How long has the name Hal been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Hal since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Hal? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Hallie, Hale, Halen, Halbert, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Hal's data

  • Hal's decade-level peak was the 1950s (4,423 total births); usage has since declined to 190 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • Texas records the most Hals (1,202 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 Hal

Nearby Names Like Hal

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Hal

Hallie Boy
1,335 births
Hale Boy
#6463 1,282 births
Halen Boy
#3102 1,255 births
Halbert Boy
1,137 births
Halo Boy
#933 1,003 births

Compare Hal side by side: Hal vs Hallie Hal vs Hale Hal vs Halen

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Hal

Baxter #3131
4,034 births · Peak 2014
Cyril #3133
12,034 births · Peak 1916
Enos #3130
3,991 births · Peak 1921
Dixon #3134
3,079 births · Peak 2014
Hamilton #3129
6,517 births · Peak 2016
Courtney #3135
23,033 births · Peak 1980
Jim #3128
153,122 births · Peak 1959
Ferris #3136
2,837 births · Peak 2024

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Hal: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1880–2025 (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 Hal 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.