Total births
328
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.
- 328
- total births
- 1884–1962
- years on record
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 33%
- born in that 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.
- 328 total births
- 1884–1962 years on record
- 1920s peak decade
- 33% born in that decade
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
328 boys have been named Needham since 1884, peaking in the 1920s, last recorded in 1962.
- 328
- total births
- 1884–1962
- years on record
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 33%
- born in that decade
1920s
Peak decade
33% of everyone ever named Needham was born in this single decade.
1923
Single peak year
15 babies were named Needham in 1923 - its busiest year on record.
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 at a glance
Last recorded 1962Peak year
1923
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1884
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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% |
North Carolina share of Needham's total US births 22.6%
74 of 328 births nationwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Needham? ▼
Needham has been given to 328 babies in the U.S. since 1884, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 1962. 15 babies were born in 1923, its single highest year.
When was Needham most popular? ▼
Needham was most popular in the 1920s decade with 107 total births. The single peak year was 1923.
Where is Needham most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Needham are North Carolina (74 births).
How long has the name Needham been used? ▼
Needham has been recorded in Social Security data since 1884, spanning 79 years of data through 1962.
What names are similar to Needham? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Neel, Neev, Neeko, Neely, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
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
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare 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
Neel Boy
#1858 3,392 births
Neev Boy
#2131 931 births
Neeko Boy
#5144 420 births
Neely Boy
391 births
Neeraj Boy
328 births
Compare Needham side by side: Needham vs Neel Needham vs Neev Needham vs Neeko
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Needham: Baby Name Since 1884 - 328 Births, Peak 1923." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/needham. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 June 2026.