Boys' name · since 1881
Less
281 babies named Less in U.S. Social Security records since 1881, with the highest year being 1923. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #10,987 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 281
- born since 1881
- 1910s
- peak decade
281 boys have been named Less since 1881, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.
Less has 281 recorded births among boys since 1881, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 1910s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1881 to 1957.
- #10,987 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 281 born since 1881
- 1910s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Less ranks #10,987 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 281 born since 1881, peaking in the 1910s.
- #10,987 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 281
- born since 1881
- 1910s
- peak decade
Less's 281 recorded births place it above 75.81% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
Less's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Less's full recorded timeline at 1920, 48% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 52% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1881, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1923 peak of 14 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Less popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1881–1957
- Peak year (1923)
- 14
- Annual births at peak, across 77 years of records
Less by decade
1910s is the heaviest window (75 births, 27% of the file).
1910s was Less's strongest decade.
75 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 27% of all-time use.
Less births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 15
1880s
15 births
- 1890s 10
1890s
10 births
- 1900s
1900s
46 births
- 1910s
1910s
75 births
- 1920s
1920s
55 births
- 1930s
1930s
45 births
- 1940s 16
1940s
16 births
- 1950s 19
1950s
19 births
What this shows Peak: 1910s at 75 births (27% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Less? ▼
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What to do with Less's data
- Less's decade-level peak was the 1910s (75 total births); usage has since declined to 19 in the 1950s -- 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 Less
Nearby Names Like Less
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Less
Compare Less side by side: Less vs Lester Less vs Leslie Less vs Lesley
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Less: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1923)
Similar record span (~76 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, 1881–1957 (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 Less 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.