Boys' name · since 1880

Irving

Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 44,364 babies named Irving, peaking in 1918. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#542 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#1,778 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
44,364
born since 1880
1920s
peak decade

Irving currently ranks #1778 among boys' names in America, with 44,364 babies recorded since 1880.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Irving has been recorded 44,364 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #1778 nationally and more common than 87% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.

  • #542 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #1,778 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 44,364 born since 1880
  • 1920s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Irving ranks #542 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,778 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 44,364 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.

#542 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#1,778 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
44,364
born since 1880
1920s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%87.2%
Irving vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Irving's 44,364 recorded births place it above 98.8% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

45 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

45 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.

How Irving compares

44,364 Top 4% higher than 96% of 13,930 names currently given to boys

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

Irving's all-time total is 120x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Irving Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 44,364 369 358,536
Peak-year births 1,533 34 22,252

Irving's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Irving's full recorded timeline at 1953, 24% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 76% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1883, with just 46 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1918 peak of 1,533 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Irving popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1918)
1,533
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
05001,0001,5002,000 188018991918193719561975199420132025 90

Irving popularity over time - girls

85 total births recorded since 1915 (Irving as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 85 births
4681012 1915191819211923192519271930 8

Irving by decade

1920s is the heaviest window (11,898 births, 27% of the file).

1920s was Irving's strongest decade.

11,898 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 27% of all-time use.

Irving births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1920s at 11,898 births (27% of all-time use).

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

How Irving compares to similarly-sized names

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

Irving vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8% 406080100120140160 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 -144, 3.2%-123, 3.5%-63, 4.1%-137, 1.9%-146, 7.1%-112, 3.2%-146, 1.8%-126, 2.4%-130, 2.8%-146, 1.6%-70, 6.9%-146, 1.5%-146, 2.6%-146, 1.9%-146, 2.8%Irving-146, 3.5%Irving
Irving vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Irving by state

Where Irving concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Regionally concentrated
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Irving
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
14,884 33.5%
#2 California
2,756 6.2%
#3 Illinois
2,420 5.5%
#4 New Jersey
2,088 4.7%
#5 Massachusetts
2,005 4.5%
#6 Pennsylvania
1,551 3.5%
#7 Texas
1,384 3.1%
#8 Michigan
1,186 2.7%
New York share of Irving's total US births 33.5%
Even split

14,884 of 44,364 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 45 reporting states.

Irving appears in 45 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Irving?
Since 1880, Social Security records show 44,364 babies named Irving. Across the full SSA archive it ranks #542 of 45,481 boys' names by total births. In 2025, it holds #1,778 of 13,930 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1918, with 1,533 births.
Where does Irving sit in the SSA name archive?
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Irving ranks #542 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,778 of 13,930 among boys' 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 Irving most popular?
Irving was most popular in the 1920s decade with 11,898 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Irving most popular?
The top states for the name Irving are New York (14,884 births), California (2,756 births), Illinois (2,420 births).
How long has the name Irving been used?
Irving has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Irving?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Irvin, Irven, Irvine, Irvan, and 2 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Irving's data

  • Irving's decade-level peak was the 1920s (11,898 total births); usage has since declined to 582 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • New York records the most Irvings (14,884 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 Irving

Nearby Names Like Irving

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

Names with a similar popularity rank to Irving

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Irving: 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, 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 Irving 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.