Unisex name · since 1918

Illinois

Illinois has 11 recorded births since 1918 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1920 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#53,182 of 72,339
all-time among girls
11
born since 1918
1920s
peak decade

Illinois is not among the current top-ranked girls names; 11 have been recorded since 1918.

Illinois has 11 recorded births among girls since 1918, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls 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 1918 to 1920.

  • #53,182 of 72,339 all-time among girls
  • 11 born since 1918
  • 1920s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Illinois ranks #53,182 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 11 born since 1918, peaking in the 1920s.

#53,182 of 72,339
all-time among girls
11
born since 1918
1920s
peak decade
Rare archive record
All-time archive position

Illinois's 11 recorded births place it above 24.68% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.

National only
State-record footprint

No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.

Illinois's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Illinois's full recorded timeline at 1920, 55% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 45% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1918, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1920 peak of 6 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Illinois popularity over time - girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1918–1920

Last recorded 1920
Peak year (1920)
6
Annual births at peak, across 3 years of records
4.555.566.5 19181920 6

Illinois popularity over time - boys

5 total births recorded since 1923 (Illinois as boys' name)

Unisex variant - 5 births
5 1923 5

Illinois by decade

1920s is the heaviest window (6 births, 55% of the file).

1920s was Illinois's strongest decade.

6 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 55% of all-time use.

Illinois births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1920s at 6 births (55% of all-time use).

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Illinois? ▼
Since 1918, Social Security records show 11 babies named Illinois. Across the full SSA archive it ranks #53,182 of 72,339 girls' names by total births. The most recent recorded year was 1920. Its busiest year on record was 1920, with 6 births.
Where does Illinois sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Illinois ranks #53,182 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the null SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Illinois most popular? ▼
Illinois was most popular in the 1920s decade with 6 total births. The single peak year was 1920.
Is Illinois a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Illinois is used for both boys and girls. As a girl's name it has 11 births, and as a boy's name it has 5 births.
How long has the name Illinois been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Illinois since 1918 -- 3 years through the most recent 1920 data.
What names are similar to Illinois? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Illiana, Illa, Illyana, Illianna, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

Keep exploring Illinois

Nearby Names Like Illinois

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

Illiana Girl
#2467 2,095 births
Illa Girl
#9491 1,800 births
Illyana Girl
#4712 706 births
Illianna Girl
#5828 478 births
Illeana Girl
384 births

Compare Illinois side by side: Illinois vs Illiana Illinois vs Illa Illinois vs Illyana

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar number of total births

Byrde
11 births · Peak 1887
Mag
11 births · Peak 1924
Bah
11 births · Peak 1888
Bunie
11 births · Peak 1920
Lizetta
11 births · Peak 1891
Lecy
11 births · Peak 1922
Tenie
11 births · Peak 1895
Lolo
11 births · Peak 1923

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Illinois: 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, 1918–1920 (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 Illinois 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.