Unisex name · since 1981
Journey
20,882 babies named Journey in U.S. Social Security records since 1981, with the highest year being 2018. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1,038 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #411 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 20,882
- born since 1981
- 2010s
- peak decade
Yes -- Journey is the #411 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 20,882 recorded since 1981.
Journey has 20,882 recorded births among girls since 1981, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #411 as of the latest data, more common than 98% of girls, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1981 to 2025.
- #1,038 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #411 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 20,882 born since 1981
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Journey ranks #1,038 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #411 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 20,882 born since 1981, peaking in the 2010s.
- #1,038 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #411 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 20,882
- born since 1981
- 2010s
- peak decade
Journey's 20,882 recorded births place it above 98.56% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
47 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Journey compares
20,882 Top 6% higher than 94% 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
Journey's all-time total is 56x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Journey | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 20,882 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,397 | 21 | 19,840 |
Journey's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Journey's SSA record in two at 2004 and the more recent half accounts for 93% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 7%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1983, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2018 peak of 1,397, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Journey popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1981–2025
- Peak year (2018)
- 1,397
- Annual births at peak, across 45 years of records
Journey popularity over time - boys
2,011 total births recorded since 1983 (Journey as boys' name)
Journey by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (10,903 births, 52% of the file).
2010s was Journey's strongest decade.
10,903 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 52% of all-time use.
Journey births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1980s 62
1980s
62 births
- 1990s 566
1990s
566 births
- 2000s 3,402
2000s
3,402 births
- 2010s
2010s
10,903 births
- 2020s
2020s
5,949 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 10,903 births (52% of all-time use).
How Journey 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 Journey's total volume
Journey by state
Where Journey concentrates geographically, total births since 1981
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 1,998 | 9.6% |
| #2 | California | | 1,406 | 6.7% |
| #3 | Georgia | | 1,283 | 6.1% |
| #4 | Florida | | 1,230 | 5.9% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 958 | 4.6% |
| #6 | North Carolina | | 924 | 4.4% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 740 | 3.5% |
| #8 | New York | | 739 | 3.5% |
1,998 of 20,882 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 47 reporting states.
Journey appears in 47 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Journey's data
- Journey's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (10,903 total births) through the 2020s (5,949) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Texas records the most Journeys (1,998 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 Journey
Nearby Names Like Journey
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Journey
Compare Journey side by side: Journey vs Journee Journey vs Journi Journey vs Journie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Journey
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Journey: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2018)
Similar record span (~44 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, 1981–2025 (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 Journey 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.