Total births
37,850
Boys' name · since 1880
King
37,850 babies named King in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2017. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #342
- among boys today
- 37,850
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other boys
37,850 babies have been named King since 1880, making it today's #342 boys' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, King has been recorded 37,850 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #342 nationally and more common than 98% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. 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.
- #342 among boys today
- 37,850 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
- 98% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
King is currently the #342 boys' name in America, more common than 98% of boys - 37,850 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #342
- among boys today
- 37,850
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other boys
King vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#342
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 98% of names given to boys today.
2010s
Peak decade
54% of everyone ever named King was born in this single decade.
2017
Single peak year
2,696 babies were named King in 2017 - its busiest year on record.
How King compares
37,850 Top 4% higher than 96% of 14,294 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
King's all-time total is 103x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | King | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 37,850 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 2,696 | 23 | 22,252 |
King's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting King's full recorded timeline at 1953, 88% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 12% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1887, with just 13 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2017 peak of 2,696 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
King at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
2017
Current rank
#342
Active since
1880
King popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2017)
- 2,696
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
King popularity over time - girls
40 total births recorded since 1929 (King as girls' name)
King by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was King's strongest decade.
20,440 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 54% of all-time use.
King births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 229
1880s
229 births
- 1890s 233
1890s
233 births
- 1900s 277
1900s
277 births
- 1910s 795
1910s
795 births
- 1920s 998
1920s
998 births
- 1930s 801
1930s
801 births
- 1940s 818
1940s
818 births
- 1950s 708
1950s
708 births
- 1960s 454
1960s
454 births
- 1970s 316
1970s
316 births
- 1980s 335
1980s
335 births
- 1990s 439
1990s
439 births
- 2000s 1,950
2000s
1,950 births
- 2010s
2010s
20,440 births
- 2020s
2020s
9,057 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 20,440 births (54% of all-time use).
How King 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 King's total volume
King vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
King by state
Where King concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 3,545 | 9.4% |
| #2 | California | | 3,165 | 8.4% |
| #3 | Florida | | 3,070 | 8.1% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 2,515 | 6.6% |
| #5 | New York | | 1,888 | 5.0% |
| #6 | North Carolina | | 1,704 | 4.5% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 1,201 | 3.2% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 1,195 | 3.2% |
Texas share of King's total US births 9.4%
Even split
3,545 of 37,850 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 45 reporting states.
King appears in 45 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name King? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 37,850 babies named King. Today it holds rank #342 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 2017, with 2,696 births.
When was King most popular? ▼
King was most popular in the 2010s decade with 20,440 total births. The single peak year was 2017.
Where is King most popular? ▼
The top states for the name King are Texas (3,545 births), California (3,165 births), Florida (3,070 births).
How long has the name King been used? ▼
King has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to King? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Kingston, Kingsley, Kingsten, Kingstyn, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with King's data
- King's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (20,440 total births) through the 2020s (9,057) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Texas records the most Kings (3,545 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas 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 King
Nearby Names Like King
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to King
Kingston Boy
#177 46,406 births
Kingsley Boy
#984 6,709 births
Kingsten Boy
#3968 798 births
Kingstyn Boy
#2669 666 births
Kinnick Boy
506 births
Compare King side by side: King vs Kingston King vs Kingsley King vs Kingsten
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to King
Wade #341
76,498 births · Peak 1970
Damien #343
64,757 births · Peak 2007
Joaquin #340
35,601 births · Peak 2008
Niko #344
14,629 births · Peak 2022
Sullivan #339
15,635 births · Peak 2025
Kade #345
23,294 births · Peak 2024
Ezequiel #338
20,811 births · Peak 2024
Bodie #346
8,595 births · Peak 2025
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. "King: #342 Boys' Name - 37,850 Births, Peak 2017." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/king. 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 King 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.