Boys' name · since 1882
Junior
42,987 babies named Junior in U.S. Social Security records since 1882, with the highest year being 1926. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #554 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #752 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 42,987
- born since 1882
- 1920s
- peak decade
Yes -- Junior is the #752 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 42,987 recorded since 1882.
Junior has 42,987 recorded births among boys since 1882, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #752 as of the latest data, more common than 95% of boys, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1882 to 2025.
- #554 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #752 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 42,987 born since 1882
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Junior ranks #554 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #752 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 42,987 born since 1882, peaking in the 1920s.
- #554 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #752 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 42,987
- born since 1882
- 1920s
- peak decade
Junior's 42,987 recorded births place it above 98.78% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
46 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Junior compares
42,987 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
Junior's all-time total is 116x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Junior | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 42,987 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,590 | 34 | 22,252 |
Junior's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Junior's SSA record in two at 1958 and the more recent half accounts for 33% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 67%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1895, with only 6 births recorded -- set against the 1926 peak of 1,590, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Junior popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2025
- Peak year (1926)
- 1,590
- Annual births at peak, across 144 years of records
Junior popularity over time - girls
195 total births recorded since 1920 (Junior as girls' name)
Junior by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (12,925 births, 30% of the file).
1920s was Junior's strongest decade.
12,925 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 30% of all-time use.
Junior births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 23
1880s
23 births
- 1890s 59
1890s
59 births
- 1900s 162
1900s
162 births
- 1910s 1,800
1910s
1,800 births
- 1920s
1920s
12,925 births
- 1930s
1930s
8,004 births
- 1940s 3,804
1940s
3,804 births
- 1950s 2,375
1950s
2,375 births
- 1960s 1,535
1960s
1,535 births
- 1970s 948
1970s
948 births
- 1980s 1,213
1980s
1,213 births
- 1990s 1,908
1990s
1,908 births
- 2000s 3,340
2000s
3,340 births
- 2010s 2,795
2010s
2,795 births
- 2020s 2,096
2020s
2,096 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 12,925 births (30% of all-time use).
How Junior 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 Junior's total volume
Junior by state
Where Junior concentrates geographically, total births since 1882
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 2,639 | 6.1% |
| #2 | West Virginia | | 2,287 | 5.3% |
| #3 | North Carolina | | 2,286 | 5.3% |
| #4 | Missouri | | 2,071 | 4.8% |
| #5 | Texas | | 2,036 | 4.7% |
| #6 | Kentucky | | 1,962 | 4.6% |
| #7 | Tennessee | | 1,890 | 4.4% |
| #8 | Georgia | | 1,832 | 4.3% |
2,639 of 42,987 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 46 reporting states.
Junior appears in 46 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Junior? ▼
Where does Junior sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Junior most popular? ▼
Where is Junior most popular? ▼
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What names are similar to Junior? ▼
What to do with Junior's data
- Junior's decade-level peak was the 1920s (12,925 total births); usage has since declined to 2,096 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Juniors (2,639 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Junior
Nearby Names Like Junior
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Junior
Compare Junior side by side: Junior vs Junius Junior vs June Junior vs Junious
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Junior
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Junior: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1926)
Similar record span (~143 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, 1882–2025 (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 Junior 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.