Total births
281
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.
- 281
- total births
- 1881–1957
- years on record
- 1910s
- peak decade
- 27%
- born in that 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.
- 281 total births
- 1881–1957 years on record
- 1910s peak decade
- 27% born in that decade
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
281 boys have been named Less since 1881, peaking in the 1910s, last recorded in 1957.
- 281
- total births
- 1881–1957
- years on record
- 1910s
- peak decade
- 27%
- born in that decade
1910s
Peak decade
27% of everyone ever named Less was born in this single decade.
1923
Single peak year
14 babies were named Less in 1923 - its busiest year on record.
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 at a glance
Last recorded 1957Peak year
1923
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1881
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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? ▼
Less has been given to 281 babies in the U.S. since 1881, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 1957. 14 babies were born in 1923, its single highest year.
When was Less most popular? ▼
Less was most popular in the 1910s decade with 75 total births. The single peak year was 1923.
How long has the name Less been used? ▼
Records for Less go back to 1881, giving 77 years of history through 1957.
What names are similar to Less? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Lester, Leslie, Lesley, Les, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
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.
- 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 Less
Nearby Names Like Less
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Less
Lester Boy
#1563 130,688 births
Leslie Boy
#3001 112,989 births
Lesley Boy
4,797 births
Les Boy
#12400 3,448 births
Lessie Boy
945 births
Compare Less side by side: Less vs Lester Less vs Leslie Less vs Lesley
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of July 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Less: Baby Name Since 1881 - 281 Births, Peak 1923." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/less. 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 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 July 2026.