Unisex name · since 1882

Loyal

Since 1882, U.S. Social Security records show 5,939 babies named Loyal, peaking in 2022. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#1,600 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#981 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
5,939
born since 1882
2020s
peak decade

5,939 babies have been named Loyal since 1882, making it today's #981 unisex name.

Loyal has 5,939 recorded births among boys since 1882, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #981 as of the latest data, more common than 93% of boys, 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 1882 to 2025.

  • #1,600 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #981 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 5,939 born since 1882
  • 2020s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Loyal ranks #1,600 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #981 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 5,939 born since 1882, peaking in the 2020s.

#1,600 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#981 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
5,939
born since 1882
2020s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%92.9%
Loyal vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Loyal's 5,939 recorded births place it above 96.47% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

37 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

37 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Illinois.

How Loyal compares

5,939 Top 12% higher than 88% 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

Loyal's all-time total is 16x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Loyal Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 5,939 369 358,536
Peak-year births 377 34 22,252

Loyal's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Loyal's SSA record in two at 1956 and the more recent half accounts for 51% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 49%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1882, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2022 peak of 377, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Loyal popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2025

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (2022)
377
Annual births at peak, across 144 years of records
0100200300400 188219071924194119581975199420122025 233

Loyal popularity over time - girls

500 total births recorded since 1916 (Loyal as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 500 births
020406080 1916192320082013201720212025 21

Loyal by decade

2020s is the heaviest window (1,767 births, 30% of the file).

2020s was Loyal's strongest decade.

1,767 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 30% of all-time use.

Loyal births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2020s at 1,767 births (30% of all-time use).

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

How Loyal 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 Loyal's total volume

Loyal vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8%10%12% 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 -82, 3.8%-57, 3.7%-39, 5.2%-142, 2.4%-146, 7.9%-54, 4.2%-145, 2.2%-112, 4.2%-73, 4.3%-130, 1.5%-111, 7.8%-56, 4.5%-126, 1.7%-146, 1.6%-52, 9.9%Loyal-144, 6.3%Loyal
Loyal vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Loyal by state

Where Loyal concentrates geographically, total births since 1882

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Loyal
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Illinois
220 3.7%
#2 Georgia
187 3.1%
#3 Texas
187 3.1%
#4 Ohio
156 2.6%
#5 California
149 2.5%
#6 Pennsylvania
137 2.3%
#7 New York
131 2.2%
#8 Florida
125 2.1%
Illinois share of Loyal's total US births 3.7%
Even split

220 of 5,939 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 37 reporting states.

Loyal appears in 37 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Loyal? ▼
Loyal has been given to 5,939 babies in the U.S. since 1882, according to SSA data. Its archive ordinal is #1,600 of 45,481 among boys' names (total births, highest first). Among boys in 2025, it is #981 of 13,930. 377 babies were born in 2022, its single highest year.
Where does Loyal sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Loyal ranks #1,600 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #981 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 Loyal most popular? ▼
Loyal was most popular in the 2020s decade with 1,767 total births. The single peak year was 2022.
Where is Loyal most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Loyal are Illinois (220 births), Georgia (187 births), Texas (187 births).
Is Loyal a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Loyal is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 5,939 births, and as a girl's name it has 500 births.
How long has the name Loyal been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Loyal since 1882 -- 144 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Loyal? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Loyd, Loy, Loyce, Loyde, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Loyal's data

  • Illinois records the most Loyals (220 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Illinois names

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

Keep exploring Loyal

Nearby Names Like Loyal

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

Loyd Boy
#12017 22,436 births
Loy Boy
4,111 births
Loyce Boy
775 births
Loyde Boy
575 births
Loye Boy
448 births

Compare Loyal side by side: Loyal vs Loyd Loyal vs Loy Loyal vs Loyce

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Loyal

Byron #980
82,238 births · Peak 1964
Ameer #982
6,596 births · Peak 2021
Azlan #979
1,337 births · Peak 2025
Damir #983
3,444 births · Peak 2024
Toby #978
34,846 births · Peak 1975
Curtis #984
260,554 births · Peak 1962
Alec #977
55,152 births · Peak 1995
Joan #985
7,701 births · Peak 2025

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Loyal: 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, 1882–2025 (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 Loyal 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.