Unisex name · since 1970
Imani
Since 1970, U.S. Social Security records show 27,817 babies named Imani, peaking in 1998. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #874 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #580 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 27,817
- born since 1970
- 2000s
- peak decade
Imani currently ranks #580 among unisex names in America, with 27,817 babies recorded since 1970.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Imani has been recorded 27,817 times among girls since 1970, currently ranked #580 nationally and more common than 97% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 2000s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1970 to 2025.
- #874 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #580 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 27,817 born since 1970
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Imani ranks #874 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #580 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 27,817 born since 1970, peaking in the 2000s.
- #874 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #580 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 27,817
- born since 1970
- 2000s
- peak decade
Imani's 27,817 recorded births place it above 98.79% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
40 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Imani compares
27,817 Top 5% higher than 95% 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
Imani's all-time total is 74x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Imani | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 27,817 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,222 | 21 | 19,840 |
Imani's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Imani's full recorded timeline at 1998, 77% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 23% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1970, with just 9 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1998 peak of 1,222 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Imani popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1970–2025
- Peak year (1998)
- 1,222
- Annual births at peak, across 56 years of records
Imani popularity over time - boys
1,395 total births recorded since 1972 (Imani as boys' name)
Imani by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (8,823 births, 32% of the file).
2000s was Imani's strongest decade.
8,823 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 32% of all-time use.
Imani births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 255
1970s
255 births
- 1980s 522
1980s
522 births
- 1990s
1990s
8,011 births
- 2000s
2000s
8,823 births
- 2010s
2010s
6,672 births
- 2020s
2020s
3,534 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 8,823 births (32% of all-time use).
How Imani 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 Imani's total volume
Imani by state
Where Imani concentrates geographically, total births since 1970
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 3,296 | 11.8% |
| #2 | California | | 2,201 | 7.9% |
| #3 | Florida | | 1,742 | 6.3% |
| #4 | Texas | | 1,699 | 6.1% |
| #5 | Georgia | | 1,650 | 5.9% |
| #6 | New Jersey | | 1,389 | 5.0% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 1,383 | 5.0% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 1,360 | 4.9% |
3,296 of 27,817 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 40 reporting states.
Imani appears in 40 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Imani? ▼
Where does Imani sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Imani most popular? ▼
Where is Imani most popular? ▼
Is Imani a unisex name? ▼
How long has the name Imani been used? ▼
What names are similar to Imani? ▼
What to do with Imani's data
- Imani's usage has stayed within range of its 2000s decade-level peak (8,823 total births) through the 2020s (3,534) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- New York records the most Imanis (3,296 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Imani
Nearby Names Like Imani
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Imani
Compare Imani side by side: Imani vs Ima Imani vs Iman Imani vs Imari
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Imani
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Imani: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1998)
Similar record span (~55 yrs)
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, 1970–2025 (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 Imani 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.