Boys' name · since 1881

Lowell

41,330 babies named Lowell in U.S. Social Security records since 1881, with the highest year being 1931. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#562 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#3,241 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
41,330
born since 1881
1930s
peak decade

Lowell currently ranks #3241 among boys' names in America, with 41,330 babies recorded since 1881.

Lowell has 41,330 recorded births among boys since 1881, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #3241 as of the latest data, more common than 77% of boys, busiest in the 1930s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1881 to 2025.

  • #562 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #3,241 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 41,330 born since 1881
  • 1930s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Lowell ranks #562 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,241 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 41,330 born since 1881, peaking in the 1930s.

#562 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#3,241 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
41,330
born since 1881
1930s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%76.7%
Lowell vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Lowell's 41,330 recorded births place it above 98.76% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

44 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

44 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Ohio.

How Lowell compares

41,330 Top 5% higher than 95% 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

Lowell's all-time total is 112x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Lowell Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 41,330 369 358,536
Peak-year births 1,090 34 22,252

Lowell's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Lowell splits its recorded history at 1954: 25% of all births land in the more recent half, 75% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1881 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1931 peak of 1,090 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Lowell popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1881–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1931)
1,090
Annual births at peak, across 145 years of records
05001,0001,500 188119001918193619541972199020082025 36

Lowell popularity over time - girls

347 total births recorded since 1909 (Lowell as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 347 births
05101520 190919171922192719331939194619572021 5

Lowell by decade

1930s is the heaviest window (9,659 births, 23% of the file).

1930s was Lowell's strongest decade.

9,659 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.

Lowell births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1930s at 9,659 births (23% of all-time use).

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

How Lowell 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 Lowell's total volume

Lowell vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8%10% 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 -36, 6.7%-56, 7.9%-145, 1.4%-135, 4.7%-35, 5.5%-50, 8.6%-72, 3.7%-140, 3.5%-146, 1.9%-73, 4.8%-136, 2.3%-78, 4.4%-129, 2.1%-115, 3.2%-36, 6%Lowell-145, 2.6%Lowell
Lowell vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Lowell by state

Where Lowell concentrates geographically, total births since 1881

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Lowell
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Ohio
3,301 8.0%
#2 Illinois
2,557 6.2%
#3 Minnesota
2,512 6.1%
#4 Indiana
2,340 5.7%
#5 Iowa
1,848 4.5%
#6 California
1,828 4.4%
#7 Kentucky
1,810 4.4%
#8 Texas
1,582 3.8%
Ohio share of Lowell's total US births 8.0%
Even split

3,301 of 41,330 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 44 reporting states.

Lowell appears in 44 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Lowell?
Since 1881, Social Security records show 41,330 babies named Lowell. Across the full SSA archive it ranks #562 of 45,481 boys' names by total births. In 2025, it holds #3,241 of 13,930 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1931, with 1,090 births.
Where does Lowell sit in the SSA name archive?
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Lowell ranks #562 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,241 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 Lowell most popular?
Lowell was most popular in the 1930s decade with 9,659 total births. The single peak year was 1931.
Where is Lowell most popular?
The top states for the name Lowell are Ohio (3,301 births), Illinois (2,557 births), Minnesota (2,512 births).
How long has the name Lowell been used?
Lowell has been recorded in Social Security data since 1881, spanning 145 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Lowell?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Lowen, Lowry, Lowery, Lowis, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Lowell's data

  • Lowell's decade-level peak was the 1930s (9,659 total births); usage has since declined to 217 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • Ohio records the most Lowells (3,301 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Ohio names

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

Keep exploring Lowell

Nearby Names Like Lowell

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

Names with a similar popularity rank to Lowell

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Lowell: 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, 1881–2025 (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 Lowell 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.