US rank #1322 Boys' name Peak 1970 15,531 births

Hans — #1322 US boys' name

15,531 babies named Hans in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1970. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s2531890s2061900s1741910s6621920s7411930s7901940s5351950s12791960s23321970s21941980s18711990s15332000s11812010s11362020s644
#1322
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 91% of names given to boys today.

1960s
Peak decade

15% of everyone ever named Hans was born in this single decade.

1970
Single peak year

271 babies were named Hans in 1970 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Hans

The Social Security Administration has registered 15,531 babies named Hans between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Hans currently holds the #1322 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1970, when 271 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Hans performed strongest in the 1960s, accumulating 2,332 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Hans shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in California, which accounts for 1,851 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by New York and Minnesota. In total, SSA state-level files list Hans in 38 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Hans 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 15,531 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.

Hans at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

15,531

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1970

271 births that year

Strongest decade: 1960s

Current rank

#1,322

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Hans popularity over time — boys

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

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1970)
271
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
0100200300 202420051986196719481929191018911880 21

Hans popularity over time — girls

5 total births recorded since 1969 (Hans as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 5 births
5 1969 5

Hans by decade

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

Peak: 1960s
Peak decade
1960s
2,332 births that decade — 15% of Hans's all-time total
1880s2531890s2061900s1741910s6621920s7411930s7901940s5351950s12791960s23321970s21941980s18711990s15332000s11812010s11362020s644

Hans by state

Where Hans concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Hans
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
1,851 11.9%
#2 New York
1,358 8.7%
#3 Minnesota
708 4.6%
#4 Wisconsin
650 4.2%
#5 Illinois
607 3.9%
#6 Michigan
493 3.2%
#7 Washington
478 3.1%
#8 Texas
472 3.0%
California share of Hans's total US births 11.9%
Even split

1,851 of 15,531 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 38 reporting states.

Hans appears in 38 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Hans?
15,531 babies have been named Hans since 1880. It currently ranks #1322 among boys. The peak year was 1970 with 271 births.
When was Hans most popular?
Hans was most popular in the 1960s decade with 2,332 total births. The single peak year was 1970.
Where is Hans most popular?
The top states for the name Hans are California (1,851 births), New York (1,358 births), Minnesota (708 births).
How long has the name Hans been used?
Hans has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Hans?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Hank, Hansel, Hanson, Hansen, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Hans

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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.