Boys' name · since 1880
Morton
Morton has 12,336 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1923 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1,069 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 12,336
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Morton sits outside today's top ranks for boys, with 12,336 recorded since 1880.
Morton has 12,336 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2021.
- #1,069 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 12,336 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Morton ranks #1,069 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 12,336 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #1,069 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 12,336
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Morton's 12,336 recorded births place it above 97.64% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
25 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
Morton's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Morton's full recorded timeline at 1942, 15% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 85% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1988, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1923 peak of 482 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Morton popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2021
- Peak year (1923)
- 482
- Annual births at peak, across 142 years of records
Morton popularity over time - girls
5 total births recorded since 1918 (Morton as girls' name)
Morton by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (4,335 births, 35% of the file).
1920s was Morton's strongest decade.
4,335 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 35% of all-time use.
Morton births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 191
1880s
191 births
- 1890s 199
1890s
199 births
- 1900s 213
1900s
213 births
- 1910s
1910s
2,391 births
- 1920s
1920s
4,335 births
- 1930s
1930s
2,957 births
- 1940s 1,009
1940s
1,009 births
- 1950s 438
1950s
438 births
- 1960s 270
1960s
270 births
- 1970s 144
1970s
144 births
- 1980s 73
1980s
73 births
- 1990s 52
1990s
52 births
- 2000s 24
2000s
24 births
- 2010s 32
2010s
32 births
- 2020s 8
2020s
8 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 4,335 births (35% of all-time use).
How Morton 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 Morton's total volume
Morton by state
Where Morton concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 4,308 | 34.9% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 1,271 | 10.3% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 732 | 5.9% |
| #4 | New Jersey | | 480 | 3.9% |
| #5 | Massachusetts | | 361 | 2.9% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 345 | 2.8% |
| #7 | Maryland | | 333 | 2.7% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 207 | 1.7% |
4,308 of 12,336 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 25 reporting states.
Morton appears in 25 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Morton's data
- Morton's decade-level peak was the 1920s (4,335 total births); usage has since declined to 8 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Mortons (4,308 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 Morton
Nearby Names Like Morton
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Morton
Compare Morton side by side: Morton vs Morris Morton vs Morgan Morton vs Mordechai
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Morton: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1923)
Similar record span (~141 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, 1880–2021 (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 Morton 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.