Boys' name · since 1905

Hansel

3,631 babies named Hansel in U.S. Social Security records since 1905, with the highest year being 2021. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#2,242 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#1,637 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
3,631
born since 1905
2010s
peak decade

3,631 babies have been named Hansel since 1905, making it today's #1637 boys' name.

Hansel has 3,631 recorded births among boys since 1905, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1637 as of the latest data, more common than 88% of boys, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1905 to 2025.

  • #2,242 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #1,637 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 3,631 born since 1905
  • 2010s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Hansel ranks #2,242 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,637 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 3,631 born since 1905, peaking in the 2010s.

#2,242 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#1,637 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
3,631
born since 1905
2010s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%88.2%
Hansel vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Hansel's 3,631 recorded births place it above 95.07% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

21 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

21 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Hansel compares

3,631 Top 16% higher than 84% 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

Hansel's all-time total is 10x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Hansel Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 3,631 369 358,536
Peak-year births 134 34 22,252

Hansel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Hansel splits its recorded history at 1967: 61% of all births land in the more recent half, 39% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1905 (8 births) -- compare that against the 2021 peak of 134 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Hansel popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1905–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (2021)
134
Annual births at peak, across 121 years of records
050100150 190519251940195519701986200120162025 103

Hansel popularity over time - girls

5 total births recorded since 1921 (Hansel as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 5 births
5 1921 5

Hansel by decade

2010s is the heaviest window (684 births, 19% of the file).

2010s was Hansel's strongest decade.

684 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 19% of all-time use.

Hansel births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2010s at 684 births (19% of all-time use).

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

How Hansel 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 Hansel's total volume

Hansel vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 2%4%6%8%10%12% 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 -51, 3.7%-73, 4.9%-146, 2.5%-114, 3%-77, 4.4%-53, 5.5%-141, 2.5%-77, 4.8%-89, 4.6%-57, 7.4%-146, 2.8%-47, 9.7%-33, 6%-63, 4.6%-80, 4.6%Hansel-121, 3.7%Hansel
Hansel vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Hansel by state

Where Hansel concentrates geographically, total births since 1905

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Hansel
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
300 8.3%
#2 Texas
242 6.7%
#3 New York
200 5.5%
#4 Georgia
149 4.1%
#5 Florida
110 3.0%
#6 New Jersey
45 1.2%
#7 Alabama
40 1.1%
#8 North Carolina
32 0.9%
California share of Hansel's total US births 8.3%
Even split

300 of 3,631 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 21 reporting states.

Hansel appears in 21 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Hansel? ▼
3,631 babies have been named Hansel since 1905. All-time, it sits at #2,242 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #1,637 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 2021 with 134 births.
Where does Hansel sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Hansel ranks #2,242 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,637 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 Hansel most popular? ▼
Hansel was most popular in the 2010s decade with 684 total births. The single peak year was 2021.
Where is Hansel most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Hansel are California (300 births), Texas (242 births), New York (200 births).
How long has the name Hansel been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Hansel since 1905 -- 121 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Hansel? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Hank, Hans, Hanson, Hansen, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Hansel's data

  • Hansel's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (684 total births) through the 2020s (641) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • California records the most Hansels (300 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Hansel

Nearby Names Like Hansel

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

Hank Boy
#413 16,984 births
Hans Boy
#1324 15,677 births
Hanson Boy
#2995 1,839 births
Hansen Boy
#3321 887 births
Hanif Boy
#9079 784 births

Compare Hansel side by side: Hansel vs Hank Hansel vs Hans Hansel vs Hanson

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Hansel

Hiram #1636
14,456 births · Peak 1920
Granger #1638
2,147 births · Peak 2021
Lester #1635
130,688 births · Peak 1918
Yoel #1639
4,227 births · Peak 2019
Guy #1634
90,632 births · Peak 1957
Amadeus #1640
1,720 births · Peak 2024
Koe #1633
565 births · Peak 2024
Armaan #1641
3,427 births · Peak 2009

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Hansel: 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, 1905–2025 (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 Hansel 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.