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.
- #111 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #335 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 315,561
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Yes -- Martin is the #335 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 #335 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.
- #111 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #335 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 315,561 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Martin ranks #111 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #335 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 315,561 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #111 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #335 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 315,561
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Martin's 315,561 recorded births place it above 99.75% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Martin compares
315,561 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Martin's all-time total is 855x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Martin | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 315,561 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 6,073 | 34 | 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 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
Currently ranks #335 among boys.
315,561 total births across 146 years of SSA records. Peaked in 1963 with 6,073 births in a single year.
Martin popularity over time - girls
1,476 total births recorded since 1887 (Martin as girls' name)
Unisex use remains the minority pattern
The girls' variant of Martin accounts for 0% of total recorded use across both genders.
Martin by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (50,994 births, 16% of the file).
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).
Martin decade highlights
- Peak decade 50,994 births
- Runner-up 49,116 births
- Modern era share 2010s + 2020s
- Decades tracked with recorded births
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 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% |
40,863 of 315,561 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Top 5 states
- California 12.9% of nationwide
- New York 12.8% of nationwide
- Texas 9.0% of nationwide
- Illinois 6.3% of nationwide
- Pennsylvania 6.1% of nationwide
Recorded in 51 of 51 SSA jurisdictions
California accounts for 12.9% of all recorded births nationwide - a relatively diffuse profile for this name.
Martin appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Martin? ▼
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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
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
Compare Martin side by side: Martin vs Mark Martin vs Marvin Martin vs Marcus
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Martin
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Martin: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1963)
Similar record span (~145 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, 1880–2025 (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 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 August 2026.
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