Boys' name · since 1971
Priest
Priest has 561 recorded births since 1971 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2019 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #7,371 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #4,298 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 561
- born since 1971
- 2020s
- peak decade
Yes -- Priest is the #4298 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 561 recorded since 1971.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Priest has been recorded 561 times among boys since 1971, currently ranked #4298 nationally and more common than 69% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2020s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1971 to 2025.
- #7,371 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #4,298 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 561 born since 1971
- 2020s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Priest ranks #7,371 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,298 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 561 born since 1971, peaking in the 2020s.
- #7,371 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #4,298 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 561
- born since 1971
- 2020s
- peak decade
Priest's 561 recorded births place it above 83.78% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 4 jurisdictions, led by Texas.
How Priest compares
561 Top 42% higher than 58% 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
Priest's all-time total is 52% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Priest | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 561 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 50 | 34 | 22,252 |
Priest's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Priest splits its recorded history at 2007: 64% of all births land in the more recent half, 36% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1980 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2019 peak of 50 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Priest popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1971–2025
- Peak year (2019)
- 50
- Annual births at peak, across 55 years of records
Priest by decade
2020s is the heaviest window (190 births, 34% of the file).
2020s was Priest's strongest decade.
190 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 34% of all-time use.
Priest births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s
1970s
89 births
- 1980s 5
1980s
5 births
- 1990s 20
1990s
20 births
- 2000s
2000s
116 births
- 2010s
2010s
141 births
- 2020s
2020s
190 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 190 births (34% of all-time use).
How Priest 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 Priest's total volume
Priest by state
Where Priest concentrates geographically, total births since 1971
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 25 | 4.5% |
| #2 | Illinois | | 12 | 2.1% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 6 | 1.1% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 5 | 0.9% |
25 of 561 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 4 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Priest's data
- Texas records the most Priests (25 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Priest
Nearby Names Like Priest
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Priest
Compare Priest side by side: Priest vs Prince Priest vs Princeton Priest vs Price
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Priest
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Priest: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2019)
Similar record span (~54 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, 1971–2025 (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 Priest 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.