Unisex name · since 1997
Nation
Nation has 424 recorded births since 1997 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2021 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #8,721 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #4,628 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 424
- born since 1997
- 2020s
- peak decade
Nation currently ranks #4628 among unisex names in America, with 424 babies recorded since 1997.
Nation has 424 recorded births among boys since 1997, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #4628 as of the latest data, more common than 67% of boys, busiest in the 2020s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1997 to 2025.
- #8,721 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #4,628 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 424 born since 1997
- 2020s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nation ranks #8,721 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,628 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 424 born since 1997, peaking in the 2020s.
- #8,721 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #4,628 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 424
- born since 1997
- 2020s
- peak decade
Nation's 424 recorded births place it above 80.82% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 1 jurisdictions, led by California.
How Nation compares
424 Top 48% higher than 52% 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
Nation's all-time total is 15% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Nation | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 424 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 44 | 34 | 22,252 |
Nation's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Nation's full recorded timeline at 2013, 71% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 29% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1999, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2021 peak of 44 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Nation popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1997–2025
- Peak year (2021)
- 44
- Annual births at peak, across 29 years of records
Nation popularity over time - girls
75 total births recorded since 2002 (Nation as girls' name)
Nation by decade
2020s is the heaviest window (182 births, 43% of the file).
2020s was Nation's strongest decade.
182 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 43% of all-time use.
Nation births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1990s 11
1990s
11 births
- 2000s
2000s
87 births
- 2010s
2010s
144 births
- 2020s
2020s
182 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 182 births (43% of all-time use).
Nation by state
Where Nation concentrates geographically, total births since 1997
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 5 | 1.2% |
5 of 424 births nationwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Nation's data
- California records the most Nations (5 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Nation
Nearby Names Like Nation
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nation
Compare Nation side by side: Nation vs Nathan Nation vs Nathaniel Nation vs Nathanael
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Nation
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Nation: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2021)
Similar record span (~28 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, 1997–2025 (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 Nation 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.