Boys' name · since 1915
Penn
Since 1915, U.S. Social Security records show 1,208 babies named Penn, peaking in 2014. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #4,563 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,681 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,208
- born since 1915
- 2010s
- peak decade
Penn currently ranks #2681 among boys' names in America, with 1,208 babies recorded since 1915.
Social Security Administration records show Penn recorded 1,208 times among boys since 1915, holding rank #2681 nationally today, ahead of 81% of boys, peaking in the 2010s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1915 to 2025.
- #4,563 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #2,681 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 1,208 born since 1915
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Penn ranks #4,563 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,681 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,208 born since 1915, peaking in the 2010s.
- #4,563 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,681 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,208
- born since 1915
- 2010s
- peak decade
Penn's 1,208 recorded births place it above 89.96% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
8 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Pennsylvania.
How Penn compares
1,208 Top 29% higher than 71% 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
Penn's all-time total is 3x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Penn | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,208 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 79 | 34 | 22,252 |
Penn's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Penn splits its recorded history at 1992: 85% of all births land in the more recent half, 15% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1920 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2014 peak of 79 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Penn popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1915–2025
- Peak year (2014)
- 79
- Annual births at peak, across 111 years of records
Penn popularity over time - girls
22 total births recorded since 2015 (Penn as girls' name)
Penn by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (539 births, 45% of the file).
2010s was Penn's strongest decade.
539 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 45% of all-time use.
Penn births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 13
1910s
13 births
- 1920s 21
1920s
21 births
- 1930s 11
1930s
11 births
- 1940s 25
1940s
25 births
- 1950s 38
1950s
38 births
- 1960s 19
1960s
19 births
- 1970s 16
1970s
16 births
- 1980s 33
1980s
33 births
- 1990s 24
1990s
24 births
- 2000s 119
2000s
119 births
- 2010s
2010s
539 births
- 2020s
2020s
350 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 539 births (45% of all-time use).
How Penn 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 Penn's total volume
Penn by state
Where Penn concentrates geographically, total births since 1915
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 85 | 7.0% |
| #2 | California | | 55 | 4.6% |
| #3 | Texas | | 37 | 3.1% |
| #4 | North Carolina | | 12 | 1.0% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 10 | 0.8% |
| #6 | New Jersey | | 5 | 0.4% |
| #7 | Utah | | 5 | 0.4% |
| #8 | Virginia | | 5 | 0.4% |
85 of 1,208 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 8 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Penn's data
- Penn's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (539 total births) through the 2020s (350) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Pennsylvania records the most Penns (85 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Penn
Nearby Names Like Penn
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Penn
Compare Penn side by side: Penn vs Penny Penn vs Peng Penn vs Peniel
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Penn
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Penn: 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 (~110 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, 1915–2025 (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 Penn 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.