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
Irving's 44,364 recorded births place it above 98.8% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
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
- Peak year (1918)
- 1,533
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Currently ranks #1778 among boys.
44,364 total births across 146 years of SSA records. Peaked in 1918 with 1,533 births in a single year.
Irving popularity over time - girls
85 total births recorded since 1915 (Irving as girls' name)
Unisex use remains the minority pattern
The girls' variant of Irving accounts for 0% of total recorded use across both genders.
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
- 1880s 654
1880s
654 births
- 1890s 903
1890s
903 births
- 1900s 1,524
1900s
1,524 births
- 1910s
1910s
10,737 births
- 1920s
1920s
11,898 births
- 1930s 4,239
1930s
4,239 births
- 1940s 2,933
1940s
2,933 births
- 1950s 2,403
1950s
2,403 births
- 1960s 1,466
1960s
1,466 births
- 1970s 883
1970s
883 births
- 1980s 1,204
1980s
1,204 births
- 1990s 1,928
1990s
1,928 births
- 2000s 1,770
2000s
1,770 births
- 2010s 1,240
2010s
1,240 births
- 2020s 582
2020s
582 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 11,898 births (27% of all-time use).
Irving decade highlights
- Peak decade 11,898 births
- Runner-up 10,737 births
- Modern era share 2010s + 2020s
- Decades tracked with recorded births
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 by state
Where Irving concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| 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% |
14,884 of 44,364 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 45 reporting states.
Top 5 states
- New York 33.5% of nationwide
- California 6.2% of nationwide
- Illinois 5.5% of nationwide
- New Jersey 4.7% of nationwide
- Massachusetts 4.5% of nationwide
Recorded in 45 of 51 SSA jurisdictions
New York accounts for 33.5% of all recorded births nationwide - a strong regional concentration for this name.
Irving appears in 45 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Irving? ▼
Where does Irving sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Irving most popular? ▼
Where is Irving most popular? ▼
How long has the name Irving been used? ▼
What names are similar to Irving? ▼
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
Compare Irving side by side: Irving vs Irvin Irving vs Irven Irving vs Irvine
Related Names
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.
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 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.
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