Total births
382,979
Girls' name · since 1880
Judy
382,979 babies named Judy in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1947. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1648
- among girls today
- 382,979
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 91%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Judy is the #1648 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 382,979 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Judy recorded 382,979 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #1648 nationally today, ahead of 91% of girls, peaking in the 1940s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1648 among girls today
- 382,979 born since 1880
- 1940s peak decade
- 91% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Judy is currently the #1648 girls' name in America, more common than 91% of girls - 382,979 born since 1880, peaking in the 1940s.
- #1648
- among girls today
- 382,979
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 91%
- more common than other girls
Judy vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1648
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 91% of names given to girls today.
1940s
Peak decade
44% of everyone ever named Judy was born in this single decade.
1947
Single peak year
21,037 babies were named Judy in 1947 - its busiest year on record.
How Judy compares
382,979 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,726 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
Judy's all-time total is 1,003x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Judy | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 382,979 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 21,037 | 48 | 19,840 |
Judy's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Judy's full recorded timeline at 1954, 35% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 65% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1880, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1947 peak of 21,037 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Judy at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1947
Current rank
#1,648
Active since
1880
Judy popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1947)
- 21,037
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Judy popularity over time - boys
1,094 total births recorded since 1929 (Judy as boys' name)
Judy by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1940s was Judy's strongest decade.
167,719 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 44% of all-time use.
Judy births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 41
1880s
41 births
- 1890s 95
1890s
95 births
- 1900s 152
1900s
152 births
- 1910s 888
1910s
888 births
- 1920s 2,627
1920s
2,627 births
- 1930s 22,311
1930s
22,311 births
- 1940s
1940s
167,719 births
- 1950s
1950s
118,060 births
- 1960s 50,325
1960s
50,325 births
- 1970s 9,654
1970s
9,654 births
- 1980s 4,858
1980s
4,858 births
- 1990s 2,662
1990s
2,662 births
- 2000s 1,481
2000s
1,481 births
- 2010s 1,369
2010s
1,369 births
- 2020s 737
2020s
737 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 167,719 births (44% of all-time use).
How Judy 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 Judy's total volume
Judy vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Judy by state
Where Judy concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 27,775 | 7.3% |
| #2 | Texas | | 24,906 | 6.5% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 20,944 | 5.5% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 19,264 | 5.0% |
| #5 | New York | | 18,923 | 4.9% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 17,778 | 4.6% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 16,235 | 4.2% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 16,079 | 4.2% |
California share of Judy's total US births 7.3%
Even split
27,775 of 382,979 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Judy appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Judy? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 382,979 babies named Judy. Today it holds rank #1648 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1947, with 21,037 births.
When was Judy most popular? ▼
Judy was most popular in the 1940s decade with 167,719 total births. The single peak year was 1947.
Where is Judy most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Judy are California (27,775 births), Texas (24,906 births), Ohio (20,944 births).
How long has the name Judy been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Judy since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Judy? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Judith, Judi, Judie, Jude, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Judy's data
- Judy's decade-level peak was the 1940s (167,719 total births); usage has since declined to 737 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Judys (27,775 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Judy
Nearby Names Like Judy
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Judy
Judith Girl
#830 454,714 births
Judi Girl
#10378 10,351 births
Judie Girl
#15339 5,491 births
Jude Girl
#2154 3,024 births
Judyth Girl
902 births
Compare Judy side by side: Judy vs Judith Judy vs Judi Judy vs Judie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Judy
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Judy: #1648 Girls' Name - 382,979 Births, Peak 1947." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/judy. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Judy 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 June 2026.