US rank #1415 Boys' name Peak 1960 50,328 births

Nick — #1415 US boys' name

50,328 babies named Nick in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1960. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s3941890s3461900s5881910s46831920s68321930s46731940s51201950s56951960s80031970s48901980s27281990s19872000s21712010s15562020s662
#1415
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 90% of names given to boys today.

1960s
Peak decade

16% of everyone ever named Nick was born in this single decade.

1960
Single peak year

1,099 babies were named Nick in 1960 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Nick

The Social Security Administration has registered 50,328 babies named Nick between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Nick currently holds the #1415 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1960, when 1,099 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Nick performed strongest in the 1960s, accumulating 8,003 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Nick shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in California, which accounts for 6,269 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by New York and Pennsylvania. In total, SSA state-level files list Nick in 46 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Nick in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 50,328 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Nick at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

50,328

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1960

1,099 births that year

Strongest decade: 1960s

Current rank

#1,415

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Nick popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1960)
1,099
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-50005001,0001,500 202420051986196719481929191018911880 40

Nick popularity over time — girls

132 total births recorded since 1916 (Nick as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 132 births
456789 198119741970196519291925192119171916 5

Nick by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1960s
Peak decade
1960s
8,003 births that decade — 16% of Nick's all-time total
1880s3941890s3461900s5881910s46831920s68321930s46731940s51201950s56951960s80031970s48901980s27281990s19872000s21712010s15562020s662

Nick by state

Where Nick concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Nick
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
6,269 12.5%
#2 New York
4,194 8.3%
#3 Pennsylvania
4,187 8.3%
#4 Illinois
4,156 8.3%
#5 Ohio
3,707 7.4%
#6 Texas
2,659 5.3%
#7 Michigan
2,141 4.3%
#8 New Jersey
1,634 3.2%
California share of Nick's total US births 12.5%
Even split

6,269 of 50,328 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 46 reporting states.

Nick appears in 46 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Nick?
50,328 babies have been named Nick since 1880. It currently ranks #1415 among boys. The peak year was 1960 with 1,099 births.
When was Nick most popular?
Nick was most popular in the 1960s decade with 8,003 total births. The single peak year was 1960.
Where is Nick most popular?
The top states for the name Nick are California (6,269 births), New York (4,194 births), Pennsylvania (4,187 births).
How long has the name Nick been used?
Nick has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Nick?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Nicholas, Nicolas, Nickolas, Nico, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Nick

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.