Girls' name · since 1886

Ima

Since 1886, U.S. Social Security records show 6,806 babies named Ima, peaking in 1927. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#2,107 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#11,968 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
6,806
born since 1886
1920s
peak decade

6,806 babies have been named Ima since 1886, making it today's #11968 girls' name.

Ima has 6,806 recorded births among girls since 1886, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #11968 as of the latest data, more common than 31% of girls, 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 1886 to 2025.

  • #2,107 of 72,339 all-time among girls
  • #11,968 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
  • 6,806 born since 1886
  • 1920s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ima ranks #2,107 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #11,968 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 6,806 born since 1886, peaking in the 1920s.

#2,107 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#11,968 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
6,806
born since 1886
1920s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%30.8%
Ima vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Ima's 6,806 recorded births place it above 97.08% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.

20 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

20 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.

How Ima compares

6,806 Top 12% higher than 88% of 17,297 names currently given to girls

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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

Ima's all-time total is 18x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Ima Median girls name (Kyann) #1 girls name (Olivia)
All-time total births 6,806 376 567,345
Peak-year births 232 21 19,840

Ima's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Ima splits its recorded history at 1938: 24% of all births land in the more recent half, 76% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1887 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1927 peak of 232 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Ima popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1886–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1927)
232
Annual births at peak, across 140 years of records
050100150200250 188618991912192519381951196419802025 7

Ima by decade

1920s is the heaviest window (1,939 births, 28% of the file).

1920s was Ima's strongest decade.

1,939 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 28% of all-time use.

Ima births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1920s at 1,939 births (28% of all-time use).

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

How Ima compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Ima's total volume

Ima vs 15 similarly-sized girls names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%10%20%30%40% 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 -111, 2.8%-71, 4.6%-141, 32.7%-67, 5.2%-80, 3.7%-69, 5.2%-56, 7.8%-146, 2.3%-35, 16.9%-44, 10%-38, 6.6%-33, 8.5%-66, 8.6%-116, 4.3%-73, 10.7%Ima-140, 3.4%Ima
Ima vs 15 similarly-sized girls names

Ima by state

Where Ima concentrates geographically, total births since 1886

Regionally concentrated
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Ima
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Texas
1,697 24.9%
#2 Oklahoma
642 9.4%
#3 Kentucky
420 6.2%
#4 Arkansas
396 5.8%
#5 Tennessee
347 5.1%
#6 Alabama
284 4.2%
#7 Georgia
138 2.0%
#8 Missouri
138 2.0%
Texas share of Ima's total US births 24.9%
Even split

1,697 of 6,806 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 20 reporting states.

Ima appears in 20 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Ima? ▼
6,806 babies have been named Ima since 1886. All-time, it sits at #2,107 of 72,339 girls' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #11,968 of 17,297 among girls. The peak year was 1927 with 232 births.
Where does Ima sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ima ranks #2,107 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #11,968 of 17,297 among girls' 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 Ima most popular? ▼
Ima was most popular in the 1920s decade with 1,939 total births. The single peak year was 1927.
Where is Ima most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Ima are Texas (1,697 births), Oklahoma (642 births), Kentucky (420 births).
How long has the name Ima been used? ▼
Ima has been recorded in Social Security data since 1886, spanning 140 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Ima? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Imani, Iman, Imari, Imaan, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

What to do with Ima's data

  • Ima's decade-level peak was the 1920s (1,939 total births); usage has since declined to 13 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • Texas records the most Imas (1,697 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names

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

Keep exploring Ima

Nearby Names Like Ima

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

Imani Girl
#580 27,817 births
Iman Girl
#2071 5,124 births
Imari Girl
#5471 2,365 births
Imaan Girl
#4019 814 births
Imara Girl
#3020 720 births

Compare Ima side by side: Ima vs Imani Ima vs Iman Ima vs Imari

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Ima

Genoveva #11967
2,577 births · Peak 1925
Lu #11969
4,046 births · Peak 1954
Medora #11966
759 births · Peak 1920
Sylva #11970
890 births · Peak 1919
Margarete #11965
2,376 births · Peak 1918
Gregoria #11971
2,257 births · Peak 1921
Trinidad #11964
4,354 births · Peak 1922
Stasia #11972
2,259 births · Peak 1916

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Ima: 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, 1886–2025 (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 Ima 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.