Boys' name · since 1882
Lamar
Since 1882, U.S. Social Security records show 33,967 babies named Lamar, peaking in 1989. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #629 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,514 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 33,967
- born since 1882
- 1980s
- peak decade
Yes -- Lamar is the #1514 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 33,967 recorded since 1882.
Lamar has 33,967 recorded births among boys since 1882, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1514 as of the latest data, more common than 89% of boys, busiest in the 1980s -- 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.
- #629 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,514 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 33,967 born since 1882
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Lamar ranks #629 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,514 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 33,967 born since 1882, peaking in the 1980s.
- #629 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,514 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 33,967
- born since 1882
- 1980s
- peak decade
Lamar's 33,967 recorded births place it above 98.61% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
38 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Georgia.
How Lamar compares
33,967 Top 5% higher than 95% 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
Lamar's all-time total is 92x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Lamar | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 33,967 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 737 | 34 | 22,252 |
Lamar's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Lamar's full recorded timeline at 1956, 71% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 29% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1882, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1989 peak of 737 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Lamar popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2025
- Peak year (1989)
- 737
- Annual births at peak, across 144 years of records
Lamar popularity over time - girls
1,284 total births recorded since 1911 (Lamar as girls' name)
Lamar by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (6,064 births, 18% of the file).
1980s was Lamar's strongest decade.
6,064 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 18% of all-time use.
Lamar births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 33
1880s
33 births
- 1890s 94
1890s
94 births
- 1900s 163
1900s
163 births
- 1910s 1,071
1910s
1,071 births
- 1920s 2,125
1920s
2,125 births
- 1930s 2,193
1930s
2,193 births
- 1940s 2,360
1940s
2,360 births
- 1950s
1950s
2,764 births
- 1960s
1960s
2,606 births
- 1970s
1970s
4,137 births
- 1980s
1980s
6,064 births
- 1990s
1990s
3,944 births
- 2000s
2000s
2,900 births
- 2010s
2010s
2,668 births
- 2020s 845
2020s
845 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 6,064 births (18% of all-time use).
How Lamar 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 Lamar's total volume
Lamar by state
Where Lamar concentrates geographically, total births since 1882
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Georgia | | 3,857 | 11.4% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 2,556 | 7.5% |
| #3 | California | | 1,976 | 5.8% |
| #4 | Florida | | 1,934 | 5.7% |
| #5 | New York | | 1,820 | 5.4% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 1,760 | 5.2% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 1,694 | 5.0% |
| #8 | Alabama | | 1,616 | 4.8% |
3,857 of 33,967 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 38 reporting states.
Lamar appears in 38 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Lamar? ▼
Where does Lamar sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Lamar most popular? ▼
Where is Lamar most popular? ▼
How long has the name Lamar been used? ▼
What names are similar to Lamar? ▼
What to do with Lamar's data
- Lamar's decade-level peak was the 1980s (6,064 total births); usage has since declined to 845 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Georgia records the most Lamars (3,857 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Georgia names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Lamar
Nearby Names Like Lamar
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Lamar
Compare Lamar side by side: Lamar vs Lamont Lamar vs Lambert Lamar vs Lamonte
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Lamar
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Lamar: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1989)
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 Lamar 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.