Total births
16,784
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.
- #3455
- among boys today
- 16,784
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 76%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Hal is the #3455 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 #3455 nationally today, ahead of 76% 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.
- #3455 among boys today
- 16,784 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 76% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Hal is currently the #3455 boys' name in America, more common than 76% of boys - 16,784 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #3455
- among boys today
- 16,784
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 76%
- more common than other boys
Hal vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#3455
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 76% of names given to boys today.
1950s
Peak decade
26% of everyone ever named Hal was born in this single decade.
1956
Single peak year
598 babies were named Hal in 1956 - its busiest year on record.
How Hal compares
16,784 Top 6% higher than 94% of 14,294 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 46x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Hal | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 16,784 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 598 | 23 | 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 at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1956
Current rank
#3,455
Active since
1880
Hal popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1956)
- 598
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Hal popularity over time - girls
12 total births recorded since 1924 (Hal as girls' name)
Hal by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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
- 1880s 178
1880s
178 births
- 1890s 211
1890s
211 births
- 1900s 229
1900s
229 births
- 1910s 1,073
1910s
1,073 births
- 1920s
1920s
1,834 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,810 births
- 1940s
1940s
2,614 births
- 1950s
1950s
4,423 births
- 1960s
1960s
2,199 births
- 1970s 889
1970s
889 births
- 1980s 531
1980s
531 births
- 1990s 263
1990s
263 births
- 2000s 156
2000s
156 births
- 2010s 184
2010s
184 births
- 2020s 190
2020s
190 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 4,423 births (26% of all-time use).
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
Hal by state
Where Hal concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| 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. Today it holds rank #3455 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1956, with 598 births.
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
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare 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
#6847 1,282 births
Halen Boy
#2462 1,255 births
Halbert Boy
1,137 births
Halo Boy
#991 1,003 births
Compare Hal side by side: Hal vs Hallie Hal vs Hale Hal vs Halen
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Hal
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Hal: #3455 Boys' Name - 16,784 Births, Peak 1956." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/hal. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 June 2026.