Girls' name · since 1880
Myrtle
Myrtle has 136,486 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1918 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #296 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #10,917 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 136,486
- born since 1880
- 1910s
- peak decade
Yes -- Myrtle is the #10917 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 136,486 recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Myrtle has been recorded 136,486 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #10917 nationally and more common than 37% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1910s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #296 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #10,917 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 136,486 born since 1880
- 1910s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Myrtle ranks #296 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #10,917 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 136,486 born since 1880, peaking in the 1910s.
- #296 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #10,917 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 136,486
- born since 1880
- 1910s
- peak decade
Myrtle's 136,486 recorded births place it above 99.59% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
50 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by North Carolina.
How Myrtle compares
136,486 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Myrtle's all-time total is 363x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Myrtle | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 136,486 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 4,076 | 21 | 19,840 |
Myrtle's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Myrtle's SSA record in two at 1943 and the more recent half accounts for 7% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 93%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 2013, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1918 peak of 4,076, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Myrtle popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 4,076
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Myrtle popularity over time - boys
498 total births recorded since 1880 (Myrtle as boys' name)
Myrtle by decade
1910s is the heaviest window (32,432 births, 24% of the file).
1910s was Myrtle's strongest decade.
32,432 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Myrtle births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 9,769
1880s
9,769 births
- 1890s
1890s
17,717 births
- 1900s
1900s
19,691 births
- 1910s
1910s
32,432 births
- 1920s
1920s
30,569 births
- 1930s
1930s
14,134 births
- 1940s 7,274
1940s
7,274 births
- 1950s 3,106
1950s
3,106 births
- 1960s 1,166
1960s
1,166 births
- 1970s 356
1970s
356 births
- 1980s 153
1980s
153 births
- 1990s 62
1990s
62 births
- 2000s 6
2000s
6 births
- 2010s 31
2010s
31 births
- 2020s 20
2020s
20 births
What this shows Peak: 1910s at 32,432 births (24% of all-time use).
How Myrtle compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Myrtle's total volume
Myrtle by state
Where Myrtle concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | North Carolina | | 6,418 | 4.7% |
| #2 | Texas | | 5,846 | 4.3% |
| #3 | Kentucky | | 4,634 | 3.4% |
| #4 | Alabama | | 4,306 | 3.2% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 4,117 | 3.0% |
| #6 | Virginia | | 3,876 | 2.8% |
| #7 | Tennessee | | 3,787 | 2.8% |
| #8 | Louisiana | | 3,535 | 2.6% |
6,418 of 136,486 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Myrtle appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Myrtle? ▼
Where does Myrtle sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Myrtle most popular? ▼
Where is Myrtle most popular? ▼
How long has the name Myrtle been used? ▼
What names are similar to Myrtle? ▼
What to do with Myrtle's data
- Myrtle's decade-level peak was the 1910s (32,432 total births); usage has since declined to 20 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- North Carolina records the most Myrtles (6,418 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. North Carolina names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Myrtle
Nearby Names Like Myrtle
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Myrtle
Compare Myrtle side by side: Myrtle vs Myra Myrtle vs Myrna Myrtle vs Myrtis
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Myrtle
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Myrtle: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1918)
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 Myrtle 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.