Boys' name · since 1897

Niles

Niles has 4,455 recorded births since 1897 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1998 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#1,925 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#2,484 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
4,455
born since 1897
1990s
peak decade

4,455 babies have been named Niles since 1897, making it today's #2484 boys' name.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Niles has been recorded 4,455 times among boys since 1897, currently ranked #2484 nationally and more common than 82% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1990s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1897 to 2025.

  • #1,925 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #2,484 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 4,455 born since 1897
  • 1990s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Niles ranks #1,925 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,484 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 4,455 born since 1897, peaking in the 1990s.

#1,925 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#2,484 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
4,455
born since 1897
1990s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%82.1%
Niles vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Niles's 4,455 recorded births place it above 95.76% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

18 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

18 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Niles compares

4,455 Top 14% higher than 86% of 13,930 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

Niles's all-time total is 12x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Niles Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 4,455 369 358,536
Peak-year births 80 34 22,252

Niles's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Niles's SSA record in two at 1967 and the more recent half accounts for 59% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 41%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1897, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1998 peak of 80, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Niles popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1897–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1998)
80
Annual births at peak, across 129 years of records
020406080100 189719241939195419691984199920142025 54

Niles by decade

1990s is the heaviest window (558 births, 13% of the file).

1990s was Niles's strongest decade.

558 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 13% of all-time use.

Niles births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1990s at 558 births (13% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Niles compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Niles's total volume

Niles vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15%20%25%30% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -106, 3.3%-146, 2.3%-112, 2.6%-110, 4.6%-146, 2.3%-26, 24.4%-45, 8%-134, 3.1%-146, 3.6%-146, 2.9%-39, 4.7%-141, 5.9%-146, 3.5%-114, 12.9%-28, 11.4%Niles-129, 1.8%Niles
Niles vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Niles by state

Where Niles concentrates geographically, total births since 1897

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Niles
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
235 5.3%
#2 New York
172 3.9%
#3 Pennsylvania
84 1.9%
#4 Illinois
37 0.8%
#5 Ohio
36 0.8%
#6 Texas
26 0.6%
#7 Michigan
22 0.5%
#8 Georgia
16 0.4%
California share of Niles's total US births 5.3%
Even split

235 of 4,455 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 18 reporting states.

Niles appears in 18 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Niles? ▼
4,455 babies have been named Niles since 1897. All-time, it sits at #1,925 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #2,484 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 1998 with 80 births.
Where does Niles sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Niles ranks #1,925 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,484 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Niles most popular? ▼
Niles was most popular in the 1990s decade with 558 total births. The single peak year was 1998.
Where is Niles most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Niles are California (235 births), New York (172 births), Pennsylvania (84 births).
How long has the name Niles been used? ▼
Records for Niles go back to 1897, giving 129 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Niles? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Nile, Nils, Nilan, Nilo, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Niles's data

  • Niles's usage has stayed within range of its 1990s decade-level peak (558 total births) through the 2020s (339) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • California records the most Niless (235 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Niles

Nearby Names Like Niles

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Niles

Nile Boy
#1840 3,696 births
Nils Boy
#4864 3,083 births
Nilan Boy
#2931 461 births
Nilo Boy
#3773 404 births
Nilson Boy
#7353 356 births

Compare Niles side by side: Niles vs Nile Niles vs Nils Niles vs Nilan

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Niles

Florian #2483
3,691 births · Peak 1921
Johannes #2485
2,314 births · Peak 2019
Mace #2482
1,977 births · Peak 2016
Zach #2486
2,804 births · Peak 2007
Hardy #2481
5,814 births · Peak 1921
Atley #2487
659 births · Peak 2025
Marion #2480
72,495 births · Peak 1921
Roel #2488
4,711 births · Peak 2000

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Niles: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1897–2025 (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 Niles 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.