Boys' name · since 1880

Ole

Ole has 2,125 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1881 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#3,178 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#4,708 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
2,125
born since 1880
1880s
peak decade

2,125 babies have been named Ole since 1880, making it today's #4708 boys' name.

Ole has 2,125 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #4708 as of the latest data, more common than 66% of boys, busiest in the 1880s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.

  • #3,178 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #4,708 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 2,125 born since 1880
  • 1880s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ole ranks #3,178 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,708 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 2,125 born since 1880, peaking in the 1880s.

#3,178 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#4,708 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
2,125
born since 1880
1880s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%66.2%
Ole vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Above the archive median
All-time archive position

Ole's 2,125 recorded births place it above 93.01% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

7 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

7 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Minnesota.

How Ole compares

2,125 Top 21% higher than 79% 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

Ole's all-time total is 6x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Ole Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 2,125 369 358,536
Peak-year births 42 34 22,252

Ole's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Ole's full recorded timeline at 1946, 38% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 62% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1987, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1881 peak of 42 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Ole popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1881)
42
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
01020304050 188018971914193119481965198620132025 21

Ole by decade

1880s is the heaviest window (310 births, 15% of the file).

1880s was Ole's strongest decade.

310 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 15% of all-time use.

Ole births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1880s at 310 births (15% of all-time use).

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

How Ole 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 Ole's total volume

Ole vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%10%20%30% 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 -34, 5.4%-68, 4.1%-48, 11.5%-64, 2.7%-72, 6.6%-22, 26.2%-60, 3.3%-136, 3.2%-113, 4.6%-33, 6.2%-51, 3.8%-101, 2.7%-96, 5%-111, 2.6%-68, 3.7%Ole-146, 2%Ole
Ole vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Ole by state

Where Ole concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 7 states by recorded births for the name Ole
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Minnesota
138 6.5%
#2 North Dakota
65 3.1%
#3 Washington
11 0.5%
#4 New York
10 0.5%
#5 California
6 0.3%
#6 South Dakota
5 0.2%
#7 Wisconsin
5 0.2%
Minnesota share of Ole's total US births 6.5%
Even split

138 of 2,125 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 7 reporting states.

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Ole? ▼
Ole has been given to 2,125 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Its archive ordinal is #3,178 of 45,481 among boys' names (total births, highest first). Among boys in 2025, it is #4,708 of 13,930. 42 babies were born in 1881, its single highest year.
Where does Ole sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ole ranks #3,178 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,708 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 Ole most popular? ▼
Ole was most popular in the 1880s decade with 310 total births. The single peak year was 1881.
Where is Ole most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Ole are Minnesota (138 births), North Dakota (65 births), Washington (11 births).
How long has the name Ole been used? ▼
Ole has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Ole? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Olen, Oleg, Olegario, Oley, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Ole's data

  • Ole's usage has stayed within range of its 1880s decade-level peak (310 total births) through the 2020s (117) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • Minnesota records the most Oles (138 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Minnesota names

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

Keep exploring Ole

Nearby Names Like Ole

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

Olen Boy
#3453 7,665 births
Oleg Boy
#8360 466 births
Olegario Boy
#10821 414 births
Oley Boy
373 births
Oleksandr Boy
#7551 87 births

Compare Ole side by side: Ole vs Olen Ole vs Oleg Ole vs Olegario

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Ole

Homer #4707
60,912 births · Peak 1920
Clovis #4709
3,092 births · Peak 1917
Azien #4706
22 births · Peak 2025
Shelton #4710
11,973 births · Peak 1972
Yahari #4705
28 births · Peak 2025
Alphonso #4711
15,187 births · Peak 1962
Rahzi #4704
56 births · Peak 2024
Essex #4712
435 births · Peak 2025

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Ole: 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, 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 Ole 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.