Boys' name · since 1884
Needham
328 babies named Needham in U.S. Social Security records since 1884, with the highest year being 1923. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #10,114 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 328
- born since 1884
- 1920s
- peak decade
Needham sits outside today's top ranks for boys, with 328 recorded since 1884.
Needham has 328 recorded births among boys since 1884, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1884 to 1962.
- #10,114 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 328 born since 1884
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Needham ranks #10,114 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 328 born since 1884, peaking in the 1920s.
- #10,114 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 328
- born since 1884
- 1920s
- peak decade
Needham's 328 recorded births place it above 77.75% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 1 jurisdictions, led by North Carolina.
Needham's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Needham's full recorded timeline at 1929, 42% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 58% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1884, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1923 peak of 15 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Needham popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1884–1962
- Peak year (1923)
- 15
- Annual births at peak, across 79 years of records
Needham by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (107 births, 33% of the file).
1920s was Needham's strongest decade.
107 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 33% of all-time use.
Needham births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 5
1880s
5 births
- 1890s 26
1890s
26 births
- 1910s
1910s
57 births
- 1920s
1920s
107 births
- 1930s
1930s
48 births
- 1940s
1940s
48 births
- 1950s 32
1950s
32 births
- 1960s 5
1960s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 107 births (33% of all-time use).
Needham by state
Where Needham concentrates geographically, total births since 1884
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | North Carolina | | 74 | 22.6% |
74 of 328 births nationwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Needham's data
- Needham's decade-level peak was the 1920s (107 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 1960s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- North Carolina records the most Needhams (74 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 Needham
Nearby Names Like Needham
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Needham
Compare Needham side by side: Needham vs Neel Needham vs Neev Needham vs Neeko
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Needham: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1923)
Similar record span (~78 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, 1884–1962 (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 Needham 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.