Total births
278,071
Girls' name · since 1880
Norma
Norma has 278,071 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1931 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #2559
- among girls today
- 278,071
- born since 1880
- 1930s
- peak decade
- 86%
- more common than other girls
Norma currently ranks #2559 among girls' names in America, with 278,071 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Norma has been recorded 278,071 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #2559 nationally and more common than 86% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1930s. 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.
- #2559 among girls today
- 278,071 born since 1880
- 1930s peak decade
- 86% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Norma is currently the #2559 girls' name in America, more common than 86% of girls - 278,071 born since 1880, peaking in the 1930s.
- #2559
- among girls today
- 278,071
- born since 1880
- 1930s
- peak decade
- 86%
- more common than other girls
Norma vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#2559
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 86% of names given to girls today.
1930s
Peak decade
26% of everyone ever named Norma was born in this single decade.
1931
Single peak year
8,759 babies were named Norma in 1931 - its busiest year on record.
How Norma compares
278,071 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Norma's all-time total is 728x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Norma | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 278,071 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 8,759 | 48 | 19,840 |
Norma's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Norma splits its recorded history at 1953: 24% of all births land in the more recent half, 76% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1881 (26 births) -- compare that against the 1931 peak of 8,759 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Norma at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1931
Current rank
#2,559
Active since
1880
Norma popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1931)
- 8,759
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Norma popularity over time - boys
1,278 total births recorded since 1908 (Norma as boys' name)
Norma by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1930s was Norma's strongest decade.
72,878 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Norma births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 590
1880s
590 births
- 1890s 1,885
1890s
1,885 births
- 1900s 3,335
1900s
3,335 births
- 1910s 15,500
1910s
15,500 births
- 1920s
1920s
65,241 births
- 1930s
1930s
72,878 births
- 1940s
1940s
43,030 births
- 1950s
1950s
30,801 births
- 1960s 21,519
1960s
21,519 births
- 1970s 10,272
1970s
10,272 births
- 1980s 5,553
1980s
5,553 births
- 1990s 4,109
1990s
4,109 births
- 2000s 1,992
2000s
1,992 births
- 2010s 852
2010s
852 births
- 2020s 514
2020s
514 births
What this shows Peak: 1930s at 72,878 births (26% of all-time use).
How Norma compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Norma's total volume
Norma vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Norma by state
Where Norma concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 27,454 | 9.9% |
| #2 | California | | 19,902 | 7.2% |
| #3 | New York | | 17,805 | 6.4% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 15,830 | 5.7% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 15,554 | 5.6% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 13,303 | 4.8% |
| #7 | Indiana | | 10,886 | 3.9% |
| #8 | Missouri | | 10,839 | 3.9% |
Texas share of Norma's total US births 9.9%
Even split
27,454 of 278,071 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Norma appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Norma? ▼
278,071 babies have been named Norma since 1880. It currently ranks #2559 among girls. The peak year was 1931 with 8,759 births.
When was Norma most popular? ▼
Norma was most popular in the 1930s decade with 72,878 total births. The single peak year was 1931.
Where is Norma most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Norma are Texas (27,454 births), California (19,902 births), New York (17,805 births).
How long has the name Norma been used? ▼
Records for Norma go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Norma? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Nora, Norah, Noreen, Norine, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Norma's data
- Norma's decade-level peak was the 1930s (72,878 total births); usage has since declined to 514 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Normas (27,454 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Norma
Nearby Names Like Norma
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Norma
Nora Girl
#22 193,138 births
Norah Girl
#223 33,869 births
Noreen Girl
#6411 20,108 births
Norine Girl
#15334 5,242 births
Norene Girl
4,790 births
Compare Norma side by side: Norma vs Nora Norma vs Norah Norma vs Noreen
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Norma
Averly #2558
755 births · Peak 2020
Eleonora #2560
1,651 births · Peak 2025
Kaida #2557
692 births · Peak 2024
Precious #2561
19,393 births · Peak 2001
Maela #2556
445 births · Peak 2024
Avia #2562
1,948 births · Peak 2016
Jariyah #2555
1,238 births · Peak 2013
Emmylou #2563
1,274 births · Peak 2021
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Norma: #2559 Girls' Name - 278,071 Births, Peak 1931." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/norma. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Norma 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 June 2026.