US rank #1309 Boys' name Peak 1928 252,984 births

Norman — #1309 US boys' name

252,984 babies named Norman in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1928. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s12351890s18911900s31781910s250331920s493641930s499871940s421641950s337491960s227531970s98851980s58531990s34392000s20682010s15892020s796
#1309
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 91% of names given to boys today.

1930s
Peak decade

20% of everyone ever named Norman was born in this single decade.

1928
Single peak year

5,590 babies were named Norman in 1928 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Norman

The Social Security Administration has registered 252,984 babies named Norman between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Norman currently holds the #1309 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1928, when 5,590 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Norman performed strongest in the 1930s, accumulating 49,987 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Norman shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 22,908 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Pennsylvania and California. In total, SSA state-level files list Norman in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Norman in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 252,984 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Norman at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

252,984

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1928

5,590 births that year

Strongest decade: 1930s

Current rank

#1,309

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Norman popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1928)
5,590
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-2,00002,0004,0006,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 102

Norman popularity over time — girls

1,602 total births recorded since 1893 (Norman as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 1,602 births
0204060 198819751964195319421931192019021893 6

Norman by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1930s
Peak decade
1930s
49,987 births that decade — 20% of Norman's all-time total
1880s12351890s18911900s31781910s250331920s493641930s499871940s421641950s337491960s227531970s98851980s58531990s34392000s20682010s15892020s796

Norman by state

Where Norman concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Norman
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
22,908 9.1%
#2 Pennsylvania
17,321 6.8%
#3 California
14,592 5.8%
#4 Illinois
13,517 5.3%
#5 Michigan
13,369 5.3%
#6 Ohio
12,812 5.1%
#7 Massachusetts
10,464 4.1%
#8 Texas
8,674 3.4%
New York share of Norman's total US births 9.1%
Even split

22,908 of 252,984 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Norman appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Norman?
252,984 babies have been named Norman since 1880. It currently ranks #1309 among boys. The peak year was 1928 with 5,590 births.
When was Norman most popular?
Norman was most popular in the 1930s decade with 49,987 total births. The single peak year was 1928.
Where is Norman most popular?
The top states for the name Norman are New York (22,908 births), Pennsylvania (17,321 births), California (14,592 births).
How long has the name Norman been used?
Norman has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Norman?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Norbert, Norris, Normand, Norberto, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Norman

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.