Girls' name · since 1880
Iona
12,251 babies named Iona in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1918. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1,472 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,647 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 12,251
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Yes -- Iona is the #2647 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 12,251 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Iona recorded 12,251 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #2647 nationally today, ahead of 85% of girls, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1,472 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #2,647 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 12,251 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Iona ranks #1,472 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,647 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 12,251 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #1,472 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,647 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 12,251
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Iona's 12,251 recorded births place it above 97.96% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
40 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Illinois.
How Iona compares
12,251 Top 9% higher than 91% 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
Iona's all-time total is 33x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Iona | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 12,251 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 404 | 21 | 19,840 |
Iona's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Iona splits its recorded history at 1953: 19% of all births land in the more recent half, 81% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1995 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1918 peak of 404 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Iona popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 404
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Iona popularity over time - boys
10 total births recorded since 2008 (Iona as boys' name)
Iona by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (3,151 births, 26% of the file).
1920s was Iona's strongest decade.
3,151 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Iona births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 224
1880s
224 births
- 1890s 455
1890s
455 births
- 1900s 838
1900s
838 births
- 1910s
1910s
2,362 births
- 1920s
1920s
3,151 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,747 births
- 1940s 887
1940s
887 births
- 1950s 610
1950s
610 births
- 1960s 290
1960s
290 births
- 1970s 198
1970s
198 births
- 1980s 139
1980s
139 births
- 1990s 126
1990s
126 births
- 2000s 305
2000s
305 births
- 2010s 543
2010s
543 births
- 2020s 376
2020s
376 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 3,151 births (26% of all-time use).
How Iona 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 Iona's total volume
Iona by state
Where Iona concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Illinois | | 487 | 4.0% |
| #2 | Ohio | | 487 | 4.0% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 441 | 3.6% |
| #4 | New York | | 395 | 3.2% |
| #5 | Texas | | 381 | 3.1% |
| #6 | Iowa | | 318 | 2.6% |
| #7 | Louisiana | | 315 | 2.6% |
| #8 | Missouri | | 308 | 2.5% |
487 of 12,251 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 40 reporting states.
Iona appears in 40 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Iona? ▼
Where does Iona sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Iona most popular? ▼
Where is Iona most popular? ▼
How long has the name Iona been used? ▼
What names are similar to Iona? ▼
What to do with Iona's data
- Iona's decade-level peak was the 1920s (3,151 total births); usage has since declined to 376 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Illinois records the most Ionas (487 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Illinois names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Iona
Nearby Names Like Iona
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Iona
Compare Iona side by side: Iona vs Ione Iona vs Ionia Iona vs Ionna
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Iona
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Iona: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1918)
Similar record span (~145 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, 1880–2025 (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 Iona 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.