Girls' name · since 1981
Mystery
257 babies named Mystery in U.S. Social Security records since 1981, with the highest year being 2003. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #17,345 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 257
- born since 1981
- 2000s
- peak decade
Mystery sits outside today's top ranks for girls, with 257 recorded since 1981.
Social Security Administration records show Mystery recorded 257 times among girls since 1981, though it doesn't currently rank among the most-used girls names, peaking in the 2000s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1981 to 2023.
- #17,345 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 257 born since 1981
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Mystery ranks #17,345 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 257 born since 1981, peaking in the 2000s.
- #17,345 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 257
- born since 1981
- 2000s
- peak decade
Mystery's 257 recorded births place it above 75.99% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
Mystery's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Mystery's SSA record in two at 2004 and the more recent half accounts for 49% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 51%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1981, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2003 peak of 16, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Mystery popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1981–2023
- Peak year (2003)
- 16
- Annual births at peak, across 43 years of records
Mystery by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (96 births, 37% of the file).
2000s was Mystery's strongest decade.
96 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 37% of all-time use.
Mystery births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1980s 17
1980s
17 births
- 1990s
1990s
72 births
- 2000s
2000s
96 births
- 2010s
2010s
46 births
- 2020s 26
2020s
26 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 96 births (37% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Mystery's data
- Mystery's decade-level peak was the 2000s (96 total births); usage has since declined to 26 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Mystery
Nearby Names Like Mystery
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Mystery
Compare Mystery side by side: Mystery vs Mysti Mystery vs Mysha Mystery vs Mystique
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Mystery: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2003)
Similar record span (~42 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, 1981–2023 (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 Mystery 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.