Ned
Ned was given to 8 boys in 2025, #9,448 among boys’ names; 17,297 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 6,300 Americans named Ned and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (36% of everyone recorded); the median is 67 years old and half are between 54 and 76.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Ned by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Ned mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Ned is “a medieval diminutive of the male given name Edward.”
From rebracketing of the phrase mine Ed to my Ned.
/ˈnɛd/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Ned?
#9,448 among boys’ names, 2025
Ned fell from #5,446 in 2015 to #9,448 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 8.9 to 4.7 per million.
319 babies in 1939, the peak
Ned peaked in 1939, when 319 boys were given it, #312 among boys’ names. The 8 births of 2025 are 3% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8 | #9,448 | under 0.01 |
| 2024 | 11 | #7,599 | 0.01 |
| 2023 | 15 | #6,131 | 0.01 |
| 2022 | 6 | #11,870 | under 0.01 |
| 2021 | 9 | #8,630 | 0.01 |
| 2020 | 17 | #5,395 | 0.01 |
| 2019 | 15 | #6,016 | 0.01 |
| 2018 | 12 | #6,993 | 0.01 |
| 2017 | 5 | #13,659 | under 0.01 |
| 2016 | 10 | #7,974 | 0.01 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 17 | #5,446 | 0.01 |
| 2014 | 11 | #7,390 | 0.01 |
| 2013 | 14 | #6,142 | 0.01 |
| 2012 | 12 | #6,907 | 0.01 |
| 2011 | 16 | #5,593 | 0.01 |
| 2010 | 11 | #7,431 | 0.01 |
| 2009 | 11 | #7,551 | 0.01 |
| 2008 | 12 | #7,065 | 0.01 |
| 2007 | 16 | #5,613 | 0.01 |
| 2006 | 16 | #5,458 | 0.01 |
| 2005 | 27 | #3,584 | 0.01 |
| 2004 | 23 | #3,960 | 0.01 |
| 2003 | 18 | #4,561 | 0.01 |
| 2002 | 21 | #3,999 | 0.01 |
| 2001 | 19 | #4,235 | 0.01 |
| 2000 | 15 | #4,969 | 0.01 |
| 1999 | 18 | #4,101 | 0.01 |
| 1998 | 17 | #4,135 | 0.01 |
| 1997 | 23 | #3,231 | 0.01 |
| 1996 | 15 | #4,323 | 0.01 |
| 1995 | 28 | #2,661 | 0.01 |
| 1994 | 22 | #3,178 | 0.01 |
| 1993 | 39 | #2,069 | 0.02 |
| 1992 | 37 | #2,112 | 0.02 |
| 1991 | 34 | #2,175 | 0.02 |
| 1990 | 48 | #1,689 | 0.02 |
| 1989 | 47 | #1,666 | 0.02 |
| 1988 | 42 | #1,690 | 0.02 |
| 1987 | 37 | #1,779 | 0.02 |
| 1986 | 37 | #1,715 | 0.02 |
| 1985 | 51 | #1,366 | 0.03 |
| 1984 | 46 | #1,416 | 0.03 |
| 1983 | 51 | #1,307 | 0.03 |
| 1982 | 61 | #1,186 | 0.03 |
| 1981 | 68 | #1,108 | 0.04 |
| 1980 | 73 | #1,063 | 0.04 |
| 1979 | 73 | #1,038 | 0.04 |
| 1978 | 47 | #1,343 | 0.03 |
| 1977 | 72 | #1,017 | 0.04 |
| 1976 | 77 | #955 | 0.05 |
| 1975 | 81 | #914 | 0.05 |
| 1974 | 80 | #909 | 0.05 |
| 1973 | 61 | #1,044 | 0.04 |
| 1972 | 74 | #934 | 0.05 |
| 1971 | 114 | #770 | 0.06 |
| 1970 | 98 | #822 | 0.05 |
| 1969 | 120 | #717 | 0.07 |
| 1968 | 111 | #715 | 0.06 |
| 1967 | 98 | #748 | 0.06 |
| 1966 | 128 | #655 | 0.07 |
| 1965 | 127 | #659 | 0.07 |
| 1964 | 149 | #639 | 0.07 |
| 1963 | 187 | #581 | 0.09 |
| 1962 | 195 | #565 | 0.09 |
| 1961 | 196 | #561 | 0.09 |
| 1960 | 222 | #531 | 0.10 |
| 1959 | 219 | #532 | 0.10 |
| 1958 | 227 | #512 | 0.11 |
| 1957 | 260 | #485 | 0.12 |
| 1956 | 254 | #474 | 0.12 |
| 1955 | 268 | #453 | 0.13 |
| 1954 | 261 | #446 | 0.13 |
| 1953 | 263 | #438 | 0.13 |
| 1952 | 268 | #424 | 0.14 |
| 1951 | 296 | #395 | 0.16 |
| 1950 | 280 | #403 | 0.16 |
| 1949 | 273 | #405 | 0.15 |
| 1948 | 286 | #403 | 0.16 |
| 1947 | 311 | #390 | 0.17 |
| 1946 | 279 | #391 | 0.17 |
| 1945 | 256 | #376 | 0.19 |
| 1944 | 265 | #371 | 0.19 |
| 1943 | 282 | #367 | 0.20 |
| 1942 | 273 | #368 | 0.20 |
| 1941 | 279 | #347 | 0.23 |
| 1940 | 282 | #339 | 0.24 |
| 1939 | 319 | #312 | 0.29 |
| 1938 | 299 | #319 | 0.27 |
| 1937 | 289 | #318 | 0.27 |
| 1936 | 267 | #336 | 0.26 |
| 1935 | 255 | #346 | 0.24 |
| 1934 | 266 | #334 | 0.26 |
| 1933 | 241 | #348 | 0.24 |
| 1932 | 260 | #341 | 0.25 |
| 1931 | 255 | #343 | 0.25 |
| 1930 | 259 | #354 | 0.24 |
| 1929 | 282 | #329 | 0.26 |
| 1928 | 299 | #324 | 0.27 |
| 1927 | 261 | #361 | 0.23 |
| 1926 | 293 | #340 | 0.26 |
| 1925 | 280 | #353 | 0.25 |
| 1924 | 291 | #345 | 0.26 |
| 1923 | 279 | #353 | 0.25 |
| 1922 | 293 | #346 | 0.27 |
| 1921 | 288 | #355 | 0.26 |
| 1920 | 284 | #350 | 0.27 |
| 1919 | 270 | #343 | 0.28 |
| 1918 | 304 | #327 | 0.30 |
| 1917 | 280 | #325 | 0.30 |
| 1916 | 227 | #358 | 0.26 |
| 1915 | 252 | #334 | 0.30 |
| 1914 | 178 | #351 | 0.27 |
| 1913 | 148 | #337 | 0.29 |
| 1912 | 109 | #369 | 0.25 |
| 1911 | 64 | #342 | 0.28 |
| 1910 | 45 | #392 | 0.23 |
| 1909 | 45 | #351 | 0.27 |
| 1908 | 42 | #352 | 0.27 |
| 1907 | 54 | #291 | 0.37 |
| 1906 | 32 | #383 | 0.24 |
| 1905 | 27 | #419 | 0.20 |
| 1904 | 44 | #292 | 0.34 |
| 1903 | 23 | #426 | 0.19 |
| 1902 | 32 | #351 | 0.26 |
| 1901 | 22 | #404 | 0.21 |
| 1900 | 46 | #310 | 0.31 |
| 1899 | 38 | #284 | 0.36 |
| 1898 | 35 | #327 | 0.29 |
| 1897 | 29 | #350 | 0.26 |
| 1896 | 34 | #327 | 0.28 |
| 1895 | 38 | #293 | 0.32 |
| 1894 | 42 | #273 | 0.36 |
| 1893 | 34 | #299 | 0.30 |
| 1892 | 25 | #382 | 0.20 |
| 1891 | 26 | #337 | 0.26 |
| 1890 | 49 | #240 | 0.44 |
| 1889 | 28 | #334 | 0.25 |
| 1888 | 30 | #340 | 0.25 |
| 1887 | 28 | #318 | 0.28 |
| 1886 | 35 | #293 | 0.32 |
| 1885 | 26 | #340 | 0.24 |
| 1884 | 24 | #367 | 0.21 |
| 1883 | 30 | #304 | 0.29 |
| 1882 | 33 | #303 | 0.29 |
| 1881 | 18 | #406 | 0.18 |
| 1880 | 33 | #289 | 0.30 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Ned a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Ned has been given almost only to boys: 5 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Ned: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Ned, and how old are they?
6,300 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 36% of the 17,297 Americans ever recorded as Ned. The median Ned alive today is 67 years old; half are between 54 and 76.
The 2020 Census counted 7,643 people named Ned (23 women and girls, 7,620 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 7,560 born in the U.S. The Census count is 1% above that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 958 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 3,030 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 1,260 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 627 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 270 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 149 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Ned born?
The states with the most babies named Ned are Ohio, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, with 29% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 1,458 | not ranked | 1.7× |
| Pennsylvania | 1,063 | not ranked | 0.9× |
| North Carolina | 952 | not ranked | 1.9× |
| Indiana | 670 | not ranked | 1.6× |
| New York | 629 | not ranked | 0.4× |
| California | 618 | not ranked | 0.6× |
| Illinois | 580 | not ranked | 0.7× |
| Texas | 558 | not ranked | 0.6× |
| Alabama | 553 | not ranked | 1.4× |
| Georgia | 536 | not ranked | 1.1× |
Where Ned is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Ned is most over-represented in Utah: since 1910 it was given 3.5 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Ned with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Ned
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Ned and names like it
- Compare Ned and SanfordBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1930sNed peaked in 1939.
- Ohio’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Ned since 1910.
- The top names of 1939The year the most babies were named Ned.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Ned alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with NMost given first.