Boys' name · since 1880
Napoleon
7,805 babies named Napoleon in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1926. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1,390 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #4,539 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 7,805
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
7,805 babies have been named Napoleon since 1880, making it today's #4539 boys' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Napoleon has been recorded 7,805 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #4539 nationally and more common than 67% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. 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.
- #1,390 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #4,539 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 7,805 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Napoleon ranks #1,390 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,539 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 7,805 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #1,390 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #4,539 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 7,805
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Napoleon's 7,805 recorded births place it above 96.94% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
23 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Alabama.
How Napoleon compares
7,805 Top 10% higher than 90% 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
Napoleon's all-time total is 21x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Napoleon | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 7,805 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 122 | 34 | 22,252 |
Napoleon's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Napoleon's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 45% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 55%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 2022, with only 10 births recorded -- set against the 1926 peak of 122, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Napoleon popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1926)
- 122
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Napoleon popularity over time - girls
5 total births recorded since 1927 (Napoleon as girls' name)
Napoleon by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (1,036 births, 13% of the file).
1920s was Napoleon's strongest decade.
1,036 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 13% of all-time use.
Napoleon births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 267
1880s
267 births
- 1890s 227
1890s
227 births
- 1900s 239
1900s
239 births
- 1910s
1910s
797 births
- 1920s
1920s
1,036 births
- 1930s
1930s
798 births
- 1940s
1940s
703 births
- 1950s
1950s
899 births
- 1960s
1960s
795 births
- 1970s
1970s
525 births
- 1980s
1980s
532 births
- 1990s 388
1990s
388 births
- 2000s 312
2000s
312 births
- 2010s 204
2010s
204 births
- 2020s 83
2020s
83 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 1,036 births (13% of all-time use).
How Napoleon 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 Napoleon's total volume
Napoleon by state
Where Napoleon concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Alabama | | 492 | 6.3% |
| #2 | Texas | | 467 | 6.0% |
| #3 | Georgia | | 431 | 5.5% |
| #4 | North Carolina | | 353 | 4.5% |
| #5 | Mississippi | | 338 | 4.3% |
| #6 | California | | 298 | 3.8% |
| #7 | Arkansas | | 189 | 2.4% |
| #8 | Florida | | 177 | 2.3% |
492 of 7,805 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 23 reporting states.
Napoleon appears in 23 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Napoleon? ▼
Where does Napoleon sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Napoleon most popular? ▼
Where is Napoleon most popular? ▼
How long has the name Napoleon been used? ▼
What names are similar to Napoleon? ▼
What to do with Napoleon's data
- Napoleon's decade-level peak was the 1920s (1,036 total births); usage has since declined to 83 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Alabama records the most Napoleons (492 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Alabama names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Napoleon
Nearby Names Like Napoleon
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Napoleon
Compare Napoleon side by side: Napoleon vs Napolean Napoleon vs Naphtali Napoleon vs Napat
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Napoleon
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Napoleon: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1926)
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 Napoleon 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.