Boys' name · since 1920
Martel
1,696 babies named Martel in U.S. Social Security records since 1920, with the highest year being 1991. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #3,655 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #9,811 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,696
- born since 1920
- 1980s
- peak decade
Yes -- Martel is the #9811 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 1,696 recorded since 1920.
Martel has 1,696 recorded births among boys since 1920, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #9811 as of the latest data, more common than 30% of boys, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1920 to 2025.
- #3,655 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #9,811 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 1,696 born since 1920
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Martel ranks #3,655 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #9,811 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,696 born since 1920, peaking in the 1980s.
- #3,655 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #9,811 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,696
- born since 1920
- 1980s
- peak decade
Martel's 1,696 recorded births place it above 91.96% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
8 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Martel compares
1,696 Top 24% higher than 76% 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
Martel's all-time total is 5x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Martel | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,696 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 72 | 34 | 22,252 |
Martel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Martel splits its recorded history at 1990: 58% of all births land in the more recent half, 42% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1920 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1991 peak of 72 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Martel popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1920–2025
- Peak year (1991)
- 72
- Annual births at peak, across 106 years of records
Martel popularity over time - girls
10 total births recorded since 1973 (Martel as girls' name)
Martel by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (496 births, 29% of the file).
1980s was Martel's strongest decade.
496 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 29% of all-time use.
Martel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s 23
1920s
23 births
- 1940s 16
1940s
16 births
- 1950s 12
1950s
12 births
- 1960s 50
1960s
50 births
- 1970s 119
1970s
119 births
- 1980s
1980s
496 births
- 1990s
1990s
496 births
- 2000s
2000s
246 births
- 2010s 176
2010s
176 births
- 2020s 62
2020s
62 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 496 births (29% of all-time use).
How Martel 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 Martel's total volume
Martel by state
Where Martel concentrates geographically, total births since 1920
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 157 | 9.3% |
| #2 | Michigan | | 131 | 7.7% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 127 | 7.5% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 34 | 2.0% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 11 | 0.6% |
| #6 | Florida | | 6 | 0.4% |
| #7 | Arkansas | | 5 | 0.3% |
| #8 | Texas | | 5 | 0.3% |
157 of 1,696 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 8 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Martel? ▼
Where does Martel sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Martel most popular? ▼
Where is Martel most popular? ▼
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What to do with Martel's data
- Martel's decade-level peak was the 1980s (496 total births); usage has since declined to 62 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Martels (157 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Martel
Nearby Names Like Martel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Martel
Compare Martel side by side: Martel vs Mark Martel vs Martin Martel vs Marvin
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Martel
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Martel: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1991)
Similar record span (~105 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, 1920–2025 (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 Martel 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.