Total births
4,797
Unisex name · since 1880
Love
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 4,797 babies named Love, peaking in 2022. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #849
- among girls today
- 4,797
- born since 1880
- 2020s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Love is the #849 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 4,797 recorded since 1880.
Love has 4,797 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #849 as of the latest data, more common than 95% of girls, busiest in the 2020s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #849 among girls today
- 4,797 born since 1880
- 2020s peak decade
- 95% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Love is currently the #849 unisex name in America, more common than 95% of girls - 4,797 born since 1880, peaking in the 2020s.
- #849
- among girls today
- 4,797
- born since 1880
- 2020s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other girls
Love vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#849
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 95% of names given to girls today.
2020s
Peak decade
39% of everyone ever named Love was born in this single decade.
2022
Single peak year
386 babies were named Love in 2022 - its busiest year on record.
How Love compares
4,797 Top 13% higher than 87% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Love's all-time total is 13x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Love | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 4,797 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 386 | 48 | 19,840 |
Love's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Love splits its recorded history at 1965: 88% of all births land in the more recent half, 12% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1880 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2022 peak of 386 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Love at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
2022
Current rank
#849
Active since
1880
Love popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2022)
- 386
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Love popularity over time - boys
988 total births recorded since 1882 (Love as boys' name)
Love by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2020s was Love's strongest decade.
1,854 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 39% of all-time use.
Love births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 30
1880s
30 births
- 1890s 79
1890s
79 births
- 1900s 63
1900s
63 births
- 1910s 126
1910s
126 births
- 1920s 139
1920s
139 births
- 1930s 74
1930s
74 births
- 1940s 38
1940s
38 births
- 1950s 22
1950s
22 births
- 1960s 62
1960s
62 births
- 1970s 261
1970s
261 births
- 1980s 139
1980s
139 births
- 1990s 168
1990s
168 births
- 2000s 593
2000s
593 births
- 2010s
2010s
1,149 births
- 2020s
2020s
1,854 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 1,854 births (39% of all-time use).
How Love compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Love's total volume
Love vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Love by state
Where Love concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 534 | 11.1% |
| #2 | Texas | | 341 | 7.1% |
| #3 | New York | | 234 | 4.9% |
| #4 | Florida | | 204 | 4.3% |
| #5 | Georgia | | 158 | 3.3% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 132 | 2.8% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 131 | 2.7% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 97 | 2.0% |
California share of Love's total US births 11.1%
Even split
534 of 4,797 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 31 reporting states.
Love appears in 31 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Love? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 4,797 babies named Love. Today it holds rank #849 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 2022, with 386 births.
When was Love most popular? ▼
Love was most popular in the 2020s decade with 1,854 total births. The single peak year was 2022.
Where is Love most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Love are California (534 births), Texas (341 births), New York (234 births).
Is Love a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Love is used for both boys and girls. As a girl's name it has 4,797 births, and as a boy's name it has 988 births.
How long has the name Love been used? ▼
Records for Love go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Love? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Lovie, Lovina, Lovely, Lovella, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Love's data
- California records the most Loves (534 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- 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 Love
Nearby Names Like Love
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Love
Lovie Girl
#5800 5,887 births
Lovina Girl
#4564 2,479 births
Lovely Girl
#2087 2,385 births
Lovella Girl
#4039 1,735 births
Lovetta Girl
1,008 births
Compare Love side by side: Love vs Lovie Love vs Lovina Love vs Lovely
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Love
Johanna #848
54,247 births · Peak 1984
Zainab #850
7,326 births · Peak 2025
Andie #847
5,532 births · Peak 2025
Skyla #851
14,344 births · Peak 2012
Kallie #846
12,683 births · Peak 2014
Barbara #852
1,436,695 births · Peak 1947
Mercy #845
10,632 births · Peak 2019
Deborah #853
742,820 births · Peak 1954
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Love: #849 Unisex Name - 4,797 Births, Peak 2022." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/love. 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 Love 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 June 2026.