Total births
538
Boys' name · since 1880
Handy
Handy has 538 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1916 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- 538
- total births
- 1880–2016
- years on record
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 21%
- born in that decade
538 boys have been named Handy since 1880, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.
Handy has 538 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 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2016.
- 538 total births
- 1880–2016 years on record
- 1920s peak decade
- 21% born in that decade
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
538 boys have been named Handy since 1880, peaking in the 1920s, last recorded in 2016.
- 538
- total births
- 1880–2016
- years on record
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 21%
- born in that decade
1920s
Peak decade
21% of everyone ever named Handy was born in this single decade.
1916
Single peak year
16 babies were named Handy in 1916 - its busiest year on record.
Handy's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Handy's full recorded timeline at 1930, 46% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 54% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1880, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1916 peak of 16 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Handy at a glance
Last recorded 2016Peak year
1916
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1880
Handy popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2016
- Peak year (1916)
- 16
- Annual births at peak, across 137 years of records
Handy popularity over time - girls
5 total births recorded since 2000 (Handy as girls' name)
Handy by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Handy's strongest decade.
112 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Handy births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 33
1880s
33 births
- 1890s 26
1890s
26 births
- 1900s 23
1900s
23 births
- 1910s
1910s
95 births
- 1920s
1920s
112 births
- 1930s
1930s
73 births
- 1940s
1940s
74 births
- 1950s
1950s
50 births
- 1960s 12
1960s
12 births
- 1970s 10
1970s
10 births
- 1980s 8
1980s
8 births
- 1990s 5
1990s
5 births
- 2000s 12
2000s
12 births
- 2010s 5
2010s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 112 births (21% of all-time use).
How Handy 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 Handy's total volume
Handy vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Handy by state
Where Handy concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | North Carolina | | 10 | 1.9% |
| #2 | Louisiana | | 5 | 0.9% |
| #3 | South Carolina | | 5 | 0.9% |
North Carolina share of Handy's total US births 1.9%
Even split
10 of 538 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 3 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Handy? ▼
Handy has been given to 538 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 2016. 16 babies were born in 1916, its single highest year.
When was Handy most popular? ▼
Handy was most popular in the 1920s decade with 112 total births. The single peak year was 1916.
Where is Handy most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Handy are North Carolina (10 births), Louisiana (5 births), South Carolina (5 births).
How long has the name Handy been used? ▼
Records for Handy go back to 1880, giving 137 years of history through 2016.
What names are similar to Handy? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Hank, Hans, Hansel, Hanson, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Handy's data
- Handy's decade-level peak was the 1920s (112 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 2010s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- North Carolina records the most Handys (10 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. North Carolina 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 Handy
Nearby Names Like Handy
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Handy
Hank Boy
#425 16,984 births
Hans Boy
#1324 15,677 births
Hansel Boy
#1662 3,631 births
Hanson Boy
#2840 1,839 births
Hansen Boy
#3350 887 births
Compare Handy side by side: Handy vs Hank Handy vs Hans Handy vs Hansel
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of July 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, 1880–2016 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Handy: Baby Name Since 1880 - 538 Births, Peak 1916." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/handy. 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 Handy 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 July 2026.