Boys' name · since 1880

Len

Len has 4,514 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1960 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#1,907 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#8,914 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
4,514
born since 1880
1960s
peak decade

Len currently ranks #8914 among boys' names in America, with 4,514 babies recorded since 1880.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Len has been recorded 4,514 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #8914 nationally and more common than 36% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1960s. 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.

  • #1,907 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #8,914 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 4,514 born since 1880
  • 1960s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Len ranks #1,907 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #8,914 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 4,514 born since 1880, peaking in the 1960s.

#1,907 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#8,914 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
4,514
born since 1880
1960s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%36%
Len vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Len's 4,514 recorded births place it above 95.8% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

23 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

23 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Len compares

4,514 Top 14% higher than 86% 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

Len's all-time total is 12x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Len Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 4,514 369 358,536
Peak-year births 121 34 22,252

Len's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Len's full recorded timeline at 1955, 54% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 46% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 2002, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1960 peak of 121 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Len popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1960)
121
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
050100150 188019001920193819561974199220102025 8

Len popularity over time - girls

102 total births recorded since 1932 (Len as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 102 births
4681012 19321950195319571959196219681972 5

Len by decade

1960s is the heaviest window (896 births, 20% of the file).

1960s was Len's strongest decade.

896 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.

Len births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1960s at 896 births (20% of all-time use).

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

How Len 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 Len's total volume

Len vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -53, 5.7%-59, 3.9%-45, 5.2%-44, 5%-126, 4.7%-35, 6.5%-54, 4.8%-112, 2.4%-146, 4%-114, 12.9%-50, 5.7%-118, 11.3%-25, 11.7%-39, 4.7%-146, 2.9%Len-146, 2.7%Len
Len vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Len by state

Where Len concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Len
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
218 4.8%
#2 Texas
158 3.5%
#3 Illinois
146 3.2%
#4 Georgia
67 1.5%
#5 North Carolina
57 1.3%
#6 Ohio
48 1.1%
#7 Pennsylvania
46 1.0%
#8 Mississippi
38 0.8%
California share of Len's total US births 4.8%
Even split

218 of 4,514 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 23 reporting states.

Len appears in 23 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Len? ▼
4,514 babies have been named Len since 1880. All-time, it sits at #1,907 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #8,914 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 1960 with 121 births.
Where does Len sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Len ranks #1,907 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #8,914 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Len most popular? ▼
Len was most popular in the 1960s decade with 896 total births. The single peak year was 1960.
Where is Len most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Len are California (218 births), Texas (158 births), Illinois (146 births).
How long has the name Len been used? ▼
Len has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Len? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Lennox, Lenard, Lenny, Lennon, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Len's data

  • Len's decade-level peak was the 1960s (896 total births); usage has since declined to 53 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • California records the most Lens (218 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 Len

Nearby Names Like Len

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

Lennox Boy
#289 14,330 births
Lenard Boy
#12023 9,997 births
Lenny Boy
#1419 8,299 births
Lennon Boy
#808 8,003 births
Lennie Boy
#8923 2,890 births

Compare Len side by side: Len vs Lennox Len vs Lenard Len vs Lenny

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Len

Alois #8913
2,525 births · Peak 1918
Mal #8915
343 births · Peak 1950
Isom #8912
1,783 births · Peak 1920
Davie #8916
3,258 births · Peak 1955
Ned #8911
17,292 births · Peak 1939
Thad #8917
8,219 births · Peak 1967
Winfield #8910
5,214 births · Peak 1916
Barton #8918
9,371 births · Peak 1960

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Len: 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, 1880–2025 (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 Len 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.