Boys' name · since 1923
Per
369 babies named Per in U.S. Social Security records since 1923, with the highest year being 1963. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #9,479 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 369
- born since 1923
- 1960s
- peak decade
Per is not among the current top-ranked boys names; 369 have been recorded since 1923.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Per has been recorded 369 times among boys since 1923, though it is not among the currently most-used boys names, with its heaviest use in the 1960s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1923 to 2020.
- #9,479 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 369 born since 1923
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Per ranks #9,479 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 369 born since 1923, peaking in the 1960s.
- #9,479 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 369
- born since 1923
- 1960s
- peak decade
Per's 369 recorded births place it above 79.14% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
Per's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Per splits its recorded history at 1976: 41% of all births land in the more recent half, 59% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1938 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1963 peak of 14 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Per popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1923–2020
- Peak year (1963)
- 14
- Annual births at peak, across 98 years of records
Per by decade
1960s is the heaviest window (111 births, 30% of the file).
1960s was Per's strongest decade.
111 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 30% of all-time use.
Per births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s 6
1920s
6 births
- 1930s 5
1930s
5 births
- 1950s
1950s
46 births
- 1960s
1960s
111 births
- 1970s
1970s
74 births
- 1980s
1980s
61 births
- 1990s 30
1990s
30 births
- 2000s 26
2000s
26 births
- 2010s 5
2010s
5 births
- 2020s 5
2020s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 111 births (30% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Per's data
- Per's decade-level peak was the 1960s (111 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Per
Nearby Names Like Per
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Per
Compare Per side by side: Per vs Perry Per vs Percy Per vs Pernell
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Per: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1963)
Similar record span (~97 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, 1923–2020 (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 Per 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.