Unisex name · since 1919

Leary

Leary has 194 recorded births since 1919 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1926 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#13,154 of 45,481
all-time among boys
194
born since 1919
1940s
peak decade

194 boys have been named Leary since 1919, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.

Social Security Administration records show Leary recorded 194 times among boys since 1919, though it doesn't currently rank among the most-used boys names, 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 1919 to 1961.

  • #13,154 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • 194 born since 1919
  • 1940s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Leary ranks #13,154 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 194 born since 1919, peaking in the 1940s.

#13,154 of 45,481
all-time among boys
194
born since 1919
1940s
peak decade
Below the archive median
All-time archive position

Leary's 194 recorded births place it above 71.03% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

National only
State-record footprint

No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.

Leary's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Leary's full recorded timeline at 1939, 52% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 48% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1919, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1926 peak of 11 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Leary popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1919–1961

Last recorded 1961
Peak year (1926)
11
Annual births at peak, across 43 years of records
4681012 19191924193119371941194719551961 5

Leary popularity over time - girls

16 total births recorded since 1912 (Leary as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 16 births
4.555.566.5 191219201924 5

Leary by decade

1940s is the heaviest window (61 births, 31% of the file).

1940s was Leary's strongest decade.

61 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 31% of all-time use.

Leary births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1940s at 61 births (31% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Leary? ▼
194 babies have been named Leary since 1919. All-time, it sits at #13,154 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. It was last recorded in 1961. The peak year was 1926 with 11 births.
Where does Leary sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Leary ranks #13,154 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the null SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Leary most popular? ▼
Leary was most popular in the 1940s decade with 61 total births. The single peak year was 1926.
Is Leary a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Leary is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 194 births, and as a girl's name it has 16 births.
How long has the name Leary been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Leary since 1919 -- 43 years through the most recent 1961 data.
What names are similar to Leary? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Leandro, Leander, Leamon, Leandre, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Leary's data

  • Leary's decade-level peak was the 1940s (61 total births); usage has since declined to 11 in the 1960s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Leary

Nearby Names Like Leary

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Leary

Leandro Boy
#406 11,078 births
Leander Boy
#1461 6,928 births
Leamon Boy
2,672 births
Leandre Boy
#5246 1,659 births
Leandrew Boy
1,010 births

Compare Leary side by side: Leary vs Leandro Leary vs Leander Leary vs Leamon

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar number of total births

Murvin
194 births · Peak 1922
Herndon
194 births · Peak 1920
Masayuki
194 births · Peak 1920
Wendal
194 births · Peak 1955
Kotaro
194 births · Peak 2010
Liandro #6501
194 births · Peak 2020
Jilberto
194 births · Peak 1990
Ronrico
194 births · Peak 1975

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Leary: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1919–1961 (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 Leary 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.