Boys' name · since 1881

Meyer

Since 1881, U.S. Social Security records show 5,404 babies named Meyer, peaking in 1917. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#1,703 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#1,689 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
5,404
born since 1881
1910s
peak decade

Yes -- Meyer is the #1689 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 5,404 recorded since 1881.

Meyer has 5,404 recorded births among boys since 1881, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1689 as of the latest data, more common than 88% of boys, busiest in the 1910s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1881 to 2025.

  • #1,703 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #1,689 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 5,404 born since 1881
  • 1910s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Meyer ranks #1,703 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,689 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 5,404 born since 1881, peaking in the 1910s.

#1,703 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#1,689 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
5,404
born since 1881
1910s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%87.8%
Meyer vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Meyer's 5,404 recorded births place it above 96.25% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

19 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

19 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.

How Meyer compares

5,404 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

Meyer's all-time total is 15x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Meyer Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 5,404 369 358,536
Peak-year births 214 34 22,252

Meyer's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Meyer's SSA record in two at 1954 and the more recent half accounts for 37% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 63%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1882, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1917 peak of 214, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Meyer popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1881–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1917)
214
Annual births at peak, across 145 years of records
050100150200250 188119011919193719551973199120092025 97

Meyer popularity over time - girls

208 total births recorded since 2012 (Meyer as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 208 births
510152025 20122014201620182020202220242025 8

Meyer by decade

1910s is the heaviest window (1,593 births, 29% of the file).

1910s was Meyer's strongest decade.

1,593 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 29% of all-time use.

Meyer births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1910s at 1,593 births (29% of all-time use).

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

How Meyer 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 Meyer's total volume

Meyer vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8%10% 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 -55, 4.8%-56, 9.5%-47, 6.1%-68, 3.4%-144, 4.8%-37, 5.7%-112, 1.8%-141, 1.7%-139, 2%-146, 2.8%-126, 1.9%-146, 2.8%-146, 1.6%-99, 4.7%-126, 3%Meyer-145, 4%Meyer
Meyer vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Meyer by state

Where Meyer concentrates geographically, total births since 1881

Regionally concentrated
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Meyer
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
2,152 39.8%
#2 Pennsylvania
281 5.2%
#3 Illinois
234 4.3%
#4 New Jersey
195 3.6%
#5 California
93 1.7%
#6 Ohio
61 1.1%
#7 Texas
47 0.9%
#8 Massachusetts
45 0.8%
New York share of Meyer's total US births 39.8%
Even split

2,152 of 5,404 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 19 reporting states.

Meyer appears in 19 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Meyer?
5,404 babies have been named Meyer since 1881. All-time, it sits at #1,703 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #1,689 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 1917 with 214 births.
Where does Meyer sit in the SSA name archive?
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Meyer ranks #1,703 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,689 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 Meyer most popular?
Meyer was most popular in the 1910s decade with 1,593 total births. The single peak year was 1917.
Where is Meyer most popular?
The top states for the name Meyer are New York (2,152 births), Pennsylvania (281 births), Illinois (234 births).
How long has the name Meyer been used?
Meyer has been recorded in Social Security data since 1881, spanning 145 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Meyer?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Meyers, Meyson, Meylan. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Meyer's data

  • Meyer's usage has stayed within range of its 1910s decade-level peak (1,593 total births) through the 2020s (556) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • New York records the most Meyers (2,152 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names

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

Keep exploring Meyer

Nearby Names Like Meyer

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

Names with a similar popularity rank to Meyer

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Meyer: 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, 1881–2025 (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 Meyer 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.