Total births
315,561
Boys' name · since 1880
Martin
Martin has 315,561 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1963 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #307
- among boys today
- 315,561
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Martin is the #307 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 315,561 recorded since 1880.
Martin has 315,561 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #307 as of the latest data, more common than 98% of boys, busiest in the 1950s -- 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.
- #307 among boys today
- 315,561 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 98% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Martin is currently the #307 boys' name in America, more common than 98% of boys - 315,561 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #307
- among boys today
- 315,561
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other boys
Martin vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#307
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 98% of names given to boys today.
1950s
Peak decade
16% of everyone ever named Martin was born in this single decade.
1963
Single peak year
6,073 babies were named Martin in 1963 - its busiest year on record.
How Martin compares
315,561 Top 1% higher than 99% of 14,294 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
Martin's all-time total is 860x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Martin | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 315,561 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 6,073 | 23 | 22,252 |
Martin's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Martin splits its recorded history at 1953: 63% of all births land in the more recent half, 37% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1899 (260 births) -- compare that against the 1963 peak of 6,073 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Martin at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1963
Current rank
#307
Active since
1880
Martin popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1963)
- 6,073
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Martin popularity over time - girls
1,476 total births recorded since 1887 (Martin as girls' name)
Martin by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Martin's strongest decade.
50,994 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 16% of all-time use.
Martin births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 3,595
1880s
3,595 births
- 1890s 3,254
1890s
3,254 births
- 1900s 3,346
1900s
3,346 births
- 1910s 16,097
1910s
16,097 births
- 1920s
1920s
24,243 births
- 1930s
1930s
21,927 births
- 1940s
1940s
31,402 births
- 1950s
1950s
50,994 births
- 1960s
1960s
49,116 births
- 1970s
1970s
24,267 births
- 1980s
1980s
23,226 births
- 1990s
1990s
25,331 births
- 2000s 18,762
2000s
18,762 births
- 2010s 13,356
2010s
13,356 births
- 2020s 6,645
2020s
6,645 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 50,994 births (16% of all-time use).
How Martin 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 Martin's total volume
Martin vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Martin by state
Where Martin concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 40,863 | 12.9% |
| #2 | New York | | 40,250 | 12.8% |
| #3 | Texas | | 28,356 | 9.0% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 19,924 | 6.3% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 19,374 | 6.1% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 12,915 | 4.1% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 12,495 | 4.0% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 10,393 | 3.3% |
California share of Martin's total US births 12.9%
Even split
40,863 of 315,561 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Martin appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Martin? ▼
Martin has been given to 315,561 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #307 as of the latest data. 6,073 babies were born in 1963, its single highest year.
When was Martin most popular? ▼
Martin was most popular in the 1950s decade with 50,994 total births. The single peak year was 1963.
Where is Martin most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Martin are California (40,863 births), New York (40,250 births), Texas (28,356 births).
How long has the name Martin been used? ▼
Records for Martin go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Martin? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Mark, Marvin, Marcus, Mario, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Martin's data
- Martin's decade-level peak was the 1950s (50,994 total births); usage has since declined to 6,645 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Martins (40,863 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 Martin
Nearby Names Like Martin
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Martin
Mark Boy
#244 1,362,176 births
Marvin Boy
#671 254,192 births
Marcus Boy
#256 241,657 births
Mario Boy
#398 151,310 births
Marc Boy
#1194 140,604 births
Compare Martin side by side: Martin vs Mark Martin vs Marvin Martin vs Marcus
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Martin
Francisco #306
142,192 births · Peak 1993
Bryan #308
389,589 births · Peak 1985
Zane #305
56,664 births · Peak 2018
Brady #309
96,770 births · Peak 2007
Kaden #304
69,595 births · Peak 2006
Shepherd #310
7,785 births · Peak 2025
Cruz #303
30,792 births · Peak 2013
Casey #311
116,675 births · Peak 1990
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. "Martin: #307 Boys' Name - 315,561 Births, Peak 1963." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/martin. 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 Martin 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.