Girls' name · since 1962
Persephone
Since 1962, U.S. Social Security records show 4,960 babies named Persephone, peaking in 2022. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #2,594 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #735 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 4,960
- born since 1962
- 2020s
- peak decade
Persephone currently ranks #735 among girls' names in America, with 4,960 babies recorded since 1962.
Persephone has 4,960 recorded births among girls since 1962, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #735 as of the latest data, more common than 96% of girls, busiest in the 2020s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1962 to 2025.
- #2,594 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #735 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 4,960 born since 1962
- 2020s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Persephone ranks #2,594 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #735 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 4,960 born since 1962, peaking in the 2020s.
- #2,594 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #735 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 4,960
- born since 1962
- 2020s
- peak decade
Persephone's 4,960 recorded births place it above 96.41% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
38 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Persephone compares
4,960 Top 14% higher than 86% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Persephone's all-time total is 13x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Persephone | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 4,960 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 429 | 21 | 19,840 |
Persephone's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Persephone's SSA record in two at 1996 and the more recent half accounts for 95% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 5%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1969, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2022 peak of 429, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Persephone popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1962–2025
- Peak year (2022)
- 429
- Annual births at peak, across 64 years of records
Persephone by decade
2020s is the heaviest window (2,261 births, 46% of the file).
2020s was Persephone's strongest decade.
2,261 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 46% of all-time use.
Persephone births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1960s 38
1960s
38 births
- 1970s 97
1970s
97 births
- 1980s 71
1980s
71 births
- 1990s 141
1990s
141 births
- 2000s 465
2000s
465 births
- 2010s
2010s
1,887 births
- 2020s
2020s
2,261 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 2,261 births (46% of all-time use).
How Persephone compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Persephone's total volume
Persephone by state
Where Persephone concentrates geographically, total births since 1962
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 489 | 9.9% |
| #2 | Texas | | 481 | 9.7% |
| #3 | Florida | | 175 | 3.5% |
| #4 | New York | | 174 | 3.5% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 169 | 3.4% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 151 | 3.0% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 134 | 2.7% |
| #8 | Washington | | 133 | 2.7% |
489 of 4,960 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 38 reporting states.
Persephone appears in 38 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Persephone's data
- California records the most Persephones (489 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Persephone
Nearby Names Like Persephone
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Persephone
Compare Persephone side by side: Persephone vs Perla Persephone vs Perry Persephone vs Peri
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Persephone
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Persephone: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2022)
Similar record span (~63 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, 1962–2025 (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 Persephone 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.