US rank #4883 Girls' name Peak 1946 3,293 births

Ilona — #4883 US girls' name

3,293 babies named Ilona in U.S. Social Security records since 1909, with the highest year being 1946. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1900s51910s771920s1061930s1131940s7381950s5711960s3741970s2591980s1741990s2092000s2822010s2762020s109
#4883
of 17,661 girls in use

More common than 72% of names given to girls today.

1940s
Peak decade

22% of everyone ever named Ilona was born in this single decade.

1946
Single peak year

102 babies were named Ilona in 1946 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Ilona

The Social Security Administration has registered 3,293 babies named Ilona between 1909 and 2024, spanning 116 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Ilona currently holds the #4883 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1946, when 102 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Ilona performed strongest in the 1940s, accumulating 738 births during that ten-year window. Across the 13 decades of recorded activity, Ilona shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 359 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by California and Pennsylvania. In total, SSA state-level files list Ilona in 12 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Ilona 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 3,293 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.

Ilona at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

3,293

Since 1909

116 years of records

Peak year

1946

102 births that year

Strongest decade: 1940s

Current rank

#4,883

Among girls

As of 2024

Active since

1909

Recorded for 116 years

Last year on file: 2024

Ilona popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1909

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1946)
102
Annual births at peak — across 116 years of records
050100150 202420091994197919641949193419191909 5

Ilona by decade

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

Peak: 1940s
Peak decade
1940s
738 births that decade — 22% of Ilona's all-time total
1900s51910s771920s1061930s1131940s7381950s5711960s3741970s2591980s1741990s2092000s2822010s2762020s109

Ilona by state

Where Ilona concentrates geographically — total births since 1909

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Ilona
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
359 10.9%
#2 California
246 7.5%
#3 Pennsylvania
130 3.9%
#4 New Jersey
108 3.3%
#5 Ohio
97 2.9%
#6 Illinois
75 2.3%
#7 Michigan
34 1.0%
#8 Minnesota
17 0.5%
New York share of Ilona's total US births 10.9%
Even split

359 of 3,293 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 12 reporting states.

Ilona appears in 12 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Ilona?
3,293 babies have been named Ilona since 1909. It currently ranks #4883 among girls. The peak year was 1946 with 102 births.
When was Ilona most popular?
Ilona was most popular in the 1940s decade with 738 total births. The single peak year was 1946.
Where is Ilona most popular?
The top states for the name Ilona are New York (359 births), California (246 births), Pennsylvania (130 births).
How long has the name Ilona been used?
Ilona has been recorded in Social Security data since 1909, spanning 116 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Ilona?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Ilo, Ilomay, Ilora, Ilomae, and 1 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

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, 1909–2024 (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.