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.
- #7,548 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 538
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak 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.
- #7,548 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 538 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Handy ranks #7,548 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 538 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #7,548 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 538
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Handy's 538 recorded births place it above 83.39% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 3 jurisdictions, led by North Carolina.
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 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
1920s is the heaviest window (112 births, 21% of the file).
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 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% |
10 of 538 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 3 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Handy? ▼
Where does Handy sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Handy most popular? ▼
Where is Handy most popular? ▼
How long has the name Handy been used? ▼
What names are similar to Handy? ▼
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
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
Compare Handy side by side: Handy vs Hank Handy vs Hans Handy vs Hansel
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Handy: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1916)
Similar record span (~136 yrs)
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, 1880–2016 (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 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 August 2026.