Unisex name · since 1880
Noel
Noel has 52,096 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2014 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #498 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #478 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 52,096
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Noel currently ranks #478 among unisex names in America, with 52,096 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Noel has been recorded 52,096 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #478 nationally and more common than 97% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #498 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #478 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 52,096 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Noel ranks #498 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #478 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 52,096 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #498 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #478 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 52,096
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Noel's 52,096 recorded births place it above 98.9% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
48 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Noel compares
52,096 Top 4% higher than 96% 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
Noel's all-time total is 141x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Noel | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 52,096 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 901 | 34 | 22,252 |
Noel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Noel splits its recorded history at 1953: 77% of all births land in the more recent half, 23% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1883 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2014 peak of 901 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Noel popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2014)
- 901
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Noel popularity over time - girls
15,284 total births recorded since 1909 (Noel as girls' name)
Noel by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (7,613 births, 15% of the file).
2010s was Noel's strongest decade.
7,613 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 15% of all-time use.
Noel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 95
1880s
95 births
- 1890s 155
1890s
155 births
- 1900s 302
1900s
302 births
- 1910s 1,378
1910s
1,378 births
- 1920s 2,115
1920s
2,115 births
- 1930s
1930s
3,298 births
- 1940s
1940s
3,541 births
- 1950s
1950s
3,646 births
- 1960s
1960s
4,664 births
- 1970s
1970s
5,135 births
- 1980s
1980s
4,773 births
- 1990s
1990s
5,271 births
- 2000s
2000s
5,814 births
- 2010s
2010s
7,613 births
- 2020s
2020s
4,296 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 7,613 births (15% of all-time use).
How Noel 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 Noel's total volume
Noel by state
Where Noel concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 8,479 | 16.3% |
| #2 | Texas | | 6,932 | 13.3% |
| #3 | New York | | 5,975 | 11.5% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 2,936 | 5.6% |
| #5 | Florida | | 2,104 | 4.0% |
| #6 | New Jersey | | 1,526 | 2.9% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 1,215 | 2.3% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 1,061 | 2.0% |
8,479 of 52,096 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 48 reporting states.
Noel appears in 48 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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When was Noel most popular? ▼
Where is Noel most popular? ▼
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What to do with Noel's data
- Noel's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (7,613 total births) through the 2020s (4,296) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Noels (8,479 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 Noel
Nearby Names Like Noel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Noel
Compare Noel side by side: Noel vs Noe Noel vs Noeh Noel vs Noelle
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Noel
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Noel: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2014)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
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, 1880–2025 (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 Noel 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.