Boys' name · since 1888

Nils

3,083 babies named Nils in U.S. Social Security records since 1888, with the highest year being 1970. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#2,490 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#4,864 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
3,083
born since 1888
1960s
peak decade

Yes -- Nils is the #4864 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 3,083 recorded since 1888.

Nils has 3,083 recorded births among boys since 1888, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #4864 as of the latest data, more common than 65% of boys, busiest in the 1960s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1888 to 2025.

  • #2,490 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #4,864 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 3,083 born since 1888
  • 1960s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nils ranks #2,490 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,864 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 3,083 born since 1888, peaking in the 1960s.

#2,490 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#4,864 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
3,083
born since 1888
1960s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%65%
Nils vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Above the archive median
All-time archive position

Nils's 3,083 recorded births place it above 94.52% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

8 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

8 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.

How Nils compares

3,083 Top 17% higher than 83% 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

Nils's all-time total is 8x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Nils Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 3,083 369 358,536
Peak-year births 48 34 22,252

Nils's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Nils's SSA record in two at 1968 and the more recent half accounts for 51% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 49%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1907, with only 6 births recorded -- set against the 1970 peak of 48, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Nils popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1888–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1970)
48
Annual births at peak, across 138 years of records
0102030405060 188819251940195519701985200020152025 20

Nils by decade

1960s is the heaviest window (353 births, 11% of the file).

1960s was Nils's strongest decade.

353 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 11% of all-time use.

Nils births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1960s at 353 births (11% of all-time use).

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

How Nils 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 Nils's total volume

Nils vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15% 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 -49, 5.2%-53, 4.5%-120, 1.8%-52, 4.9%-145, 2.4%-19, 12.4%-37, 6.3%-46, 5.1%-128, 1.5%-39, 6%-80, 3.2%-144, 1.6%-44, 7%-101, 3.1%-104, 8.4%Nils-138, 1.6%Nils
Nils vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Nils by state

Where Nils concentrates geographically, total births since 1888

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Nils
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
264 8.6%
#2 California
221 7.2%
#3 Massachusetts
26 0.8%
#4 Minnesota
24 0.8%
#5 New Jersey
20 0.6%
#6 Washington
17 0.6%
#7 Illinois
5 0.2%
#8 Michigan
5 0.2%
New York share of Nils's total US births 8.6%
Even split

264 of 3,083 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 8 reporting states.

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Nils? ▼
3,083 babies have been named Nils since 1888. All-time, it sits at #2,490 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #4,864 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 1970 with 48 births.
Where does Nils sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nils ranks #2,490 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,864 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 Nils most popular? ▼
Nils was most popular in the 1960s decade with 353 total births. The single peak year was 1970.
Where is Nils most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Nils are New York (264 births), California (221 births), Massachusetts (26 births).
How long has the name Nils been used? ▼
Nils has been recorded in Social Security data since 1888, spanning 138 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Nils? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Niles, Nile, Nilan, Nilo, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Nils's data

  • Nils's decade-level peak was the 1960s (353 total births); usage has since declined to 113 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • New York records the most Nilss (264 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names

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

Keep exploring Nils

Nearby Names Like Nils

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

Niles Boy
#2484 4,455 births
Nile Boy
#1840 3,696 births
Nilan Boy
#2931 461 births
Nilo Boy
#3773 404 births
Nilson Boy
#7353 356 births

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

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Nils

Florencio #4863
3,090 births · Peak 1924
Zebulon #4865
2,149 births · Peak 1979
Elwin #4862
5,176 births · Peak 1923
Carlyle #4866
3,856 births · Peak 1918
Willian #4861
4,074 births · Peak 1929
Russ #4867
6,131 births · Peak 1959
Sydney #4860
9,404 births · Peak 1916
Kemp #4868
1,306 births · Peak 1957

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Nils: 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, 1888–2025 (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 Nils 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.