Boys' name · since 1921
Pericles
Pericles has 86 recorded births since 1921 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1965 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #18,416 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #12,179 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 86
- born since 1921
- 1920s
- peak decade
Yes -- Pericles is the #12179 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 86 recorded since 1921.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Pericles has been recorded 86 times among boys since 1921, currently ranked #12179 nationally and more common than 13% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1921 to 2025.
- #18,416 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #12,179 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 86 born since 1921
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Pericles ranks #18,416 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #12,179 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 86 born since 1921, peaking in the 1920s.
- #18,416 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #12,179 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 86
- born since 1921
- 1920s
- peak decade
Pericles's 86 recorded births place it above 59.46% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
How Pericles compares
86 24th percentile among 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
Pericles's all-time total is 77% below the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Pericles | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 86 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 8 | 34 | 22,252 |
Pericles's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Pericles splits its recorded history at 1973: 52% of all births land in the more recent half, 48% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1921 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1965 peak of 8 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Pericles popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1921–2025
- Peak year (1965)
- 8
- Annual births at peak, across 105 years of records
Pericles by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (21 births, 24% of the file).
1920s was Pericles's strongest decade.
21 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Pericles births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s
1920s
21 births
- 1960s
1960s
13 births
- 1970s
1970s
20 births
- 1980s 5
1980s
5 births
- 1990s 6
1990s
6 births
- 2000s 5
2000s
5 births
- 2020s
2020s
16 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 21 births (24% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Pericles's data
- Pericles's usage has stayed within range of its 1920s decade-level peak (21 total births) through the 2020s (16) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Pericles
Nearby Names Like Pericles
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Pericles
Compare Pericles side by side: Pericles vs Perry Pericles vs Percy Pericles vs Pernell
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Pericles
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Pericles: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1965)
Similar record span (~104 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, 1921–2025 (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 Pericles 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.