Boys' name · since 1881
Nolan
135,505 babies named Nolan in U.S. Social Security records since 1881, with the highest year being 2015. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #251 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #65 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 135,505
- born since 1881
- 2010s
- peak decade
135,505 babies have been named Nolan since 1881, making it today's #65 boys' name.
Nolan has 135,505 recorded births among boys since 1881, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #65 as of the latest data, more common than 99.5% of boys, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1881 to 2025.
- #251 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #65 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 135,505 born since 1881
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nolan ranks #251 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #65 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 135,505 born since 1881, peaking in the 2010s.
- #251 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #65 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 135,505
- born since 1881
- 2010s
- peak decade
Nolan's 135,505 recorded births place it above 99.44% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Nolan compares
135,505 Top 2% higher than 98% 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
Nolan's all-time total is 367x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Nolan | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 135,505 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 5,739 | 34 | 22,252 |
Nolan's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Nolan's full recorded timeline at 1956, 94% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 6% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1881, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2015 peak of 5,739 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Nolan popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1881–2025
- Peak year (2015)
- 5,739
- Annual births at peak, across 145 years of records
Nolan popularity over time - girls
556 total births recorded since 1911 (Nolan as girls' name)
Nolan by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (50,045 births, 37% of the file).
2010s was Nolan's strongest decade.
50,045 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 37% of all-time use.
Nolan births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 31
1880s
31 births
- 1890s 75
1890s
75 births
- 1900s 174
1900s
174 births
- 1910s 1,021
1910s
1,021 births
- 1920s 1,674
1920s
1,674 births
- 1930s 1,822
1930s
1,822 births
- 1940s 2,003
1940s
2,003 births
- 1950s 1,960
1950s
1,960 births
- 1960s 1,494
1960s
1,494 births
- 1970s 2,006
1970s
2,006 births
- 1980s 4,678
1980s
4,678 births
- 1990s 11,791
1990s
11,791 births
- 2000s
2000s
26,374 births
- 2010s
2010s
50,045 births
- 2020s
2020s
30,357 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 50,045 births (37% of all-time use).
How Nolan 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 Nolan's total volume
Nolan by state
Where Nolan concentrates geographically, total births since 1881
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 12,880 | 9.5% |
| #2 | Texas | | 10,062 | 7.4% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 6,279 | 4.6% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 6,228 | 4.6% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 6,117 | 4.5% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 6,020 | 4.4% |
| #7 | New York | | 5,227 | 3.9% |
| #8 | Florida | | 4,758 | 3.5% |
12,880 of 135,505 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Nolan appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Nolan? ▼
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What to do with Nolan's data
- Nolan's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (50,045 total births) through the 2020s (30,357) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Nolans (12,880 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 Nolan
Nearby Names Like Nolan
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nolan
Compare Nolan side by side: Nolan vs Nolen Nolan vs Noland Nolan vs Nolyn
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Nolan
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Nolan: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2015)
Similar record span (~144 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, 1881–2025 (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 Nolan 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.