Boys' name · since 1917
Martell
Martell has 2,630 recorded births since 1917 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1986 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #2,777 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #7,240 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 2,630
- born since 1917
- 1980s
- peak decade
Yes -- Martell is the #7240 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 2,630 recorded since 1917.
Social Security Administration records show Martell recorded 2,630 times among boys since 1917, holding rank #7240 nationally today, ahead of 48% of boys, peaking in the 1980s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1917 to 2025.
- #2,777 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #7,240 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 2,630 born since 1917
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Martell ranks #2,777 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,240 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 2,630 born since 1917, peaking in the 1980s.
- #2,777 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #7,240 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 2,630
- born since 1917
- 1980s
- peak decade
Martell's 2,630 recorded births place it above 93.89% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
12 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Illinois.
How Martell compares
2,630 Top 19% higher than 81% 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
Martell's all-time total is 7x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Martell | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 2,630 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 124 | 34 | 22,252 |
Martell's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Martell splits its recorded history at 1983: 85% of all births land in the more recent half, 15% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1918 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1986 peak of 124 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Martell popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1917–2025
- Peak year (1986)
- 124
- Annual births at peak, across 109 years of records
Martell popularity over time - girls
36 total births recorded since 1915 (Martell as girls' name)
Martell by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (866 births, 33% of the file).
1980s was Martell's strongest decade.
866 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 33% of all-time use.
Martell births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 13
1910s
13 births
- 1920s 40
1920s
40 births
- 1930s 39
1930s
39 births
- 1940s 21
1940s
21 births
- 1950s 31
1950s
31 births
- 1960s 31
1960s
31 births
- 1970s 108
1970s
108 births
- 1980s
1980s
866 births
- 1990s
1990s
698 births
- 2000s
2000s
369 births
- 2010s 327
2010s
327 births
- 2020s 87
2020s
87 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 866 births (33% of all-time use).
How Martell 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 Martell's total volume
Martell by state
Where Martell concentrates geographically, total births since 1917
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Illinois | | 565 | 21.5% |
| #2 | Michigan | | 359 | 13.7% |
| #3 | California | | 161 | 6.1% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 66 | 2.5% |
| #5 | Indiana | | 31 | 1.2% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 17 | 0.6% |
| #7 | Missouri | | 12 | 0.5% |
| #8 | Florida | | 11 | 0.4% |
565 of 2,630 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 12 reporting states.
Martell appears in 12 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Martell? ▼
Where does Martell sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Martell most popular? ▼
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What names are similar to Martell? ▼
What to do with Martell's data
- Martell's decade-level peak was the 1980s (866 total births); usage has since declined to 87 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Illinois records the most Martells (565 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 Martell
Nearby Names Like Martell
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Martell
Compare Martell side by side: Martell vs Mark Martell vs Martin Martell vs Marvin
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Martell
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Martell: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1986)
Similar record span (~108 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, 1917–2025 (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 Martell 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.