Total births
96
Unisex name · since 2004
Ness
96 babies named Ness in U.S. Social Security records since 2004, with the highest year being 2018. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #13238
- among boys today
- 96
- born since 2004
- 2020s
- peak decade
- 7%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Ness is the #13238 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 96 recorded since 2004.
Social Security Administration records show Ness recorded 96 times among boys since 2004, holding rank #13238 nationally today, ahead of 7% of boys, peaking in the 2020s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 2004 to 2025.
- #13238 among boys today
- 96 born since 2004
- 2020s peak decade
- 7% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Ness is currently the #13238 unisex name in America, more common than 7% of boys - 96 born since 2004, peaking in the 2020s.
- #13238
- among boys today
- 96
- born since 2004
- 2020s
- peak decade
- 7%
- more common than other boys
Ness vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#13238
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 7% of names given to boys today.
2020s
Peak decade
49% of everyone ever named Ness was born in this single decade.
2018
Single peak year
13 babies were named Ness in 2018 - its busiest year on record.
How Ness compares
96 25th percentile among 14,294 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
Ness's all-time total is 74% below the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Ness | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 96 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 13 | 23 | 22,252 |
Ness's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Ness's full recorded timeline at 2019, 54% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 46% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 2014, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2018 peak of 13 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Ness at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2018
Current rank
#13,238
Active since
2004
Ness popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2004–2025
- Peak year (2018)
- 13
- Annual births at peak, across 22 years of records
Ness popularity over time - girls
8 total births recorded since 2025 (Ness as girls' name)
Ness by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2020s was Ness's strongest decade.
47 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 49% of all-time use.
Ness births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 2000s 6
2000s
6 births
- 2010s
2010s
43 births
- 2020s
2020s
47 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 47 births (49% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Ness? ▼
96 babies have been named Ness since 2004. It currently ranks #13238 among boys. The peak year was 2018 with 13 births.
When was Ness most popular? ▼
Ness was most popular in the 2020s decade with 47 total births. The single peak year was 2018.
Is Ness a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Ness is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 96 births, and as a girl's name it has 8 births.
How long has the name Ness been used? ▼
Ness has been recorded in Social Security data since 2004, spanning 22 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Ness? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Nestor, Nesanel, Nessiah, Nesta, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
Keep exploring Ness
Nearby Names Like Ness
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Ness
Nestor Boy
#1710 10,430 births
Nesanel Boy
#4979 361 births
Nessiah Boy
#3154 298 births
Nesta Boy
108 births
Nester Boy
101 births
Compare Ness side by side: Ness vs Nestor Ness vs Nesanel Ness vs Nessiah
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Ness
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, 2004–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Ness: #13238 Unisex Name - 96 Births, Peak 2018." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/ness. 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 Ness 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.