Unisex name · since 1885

Refugio

Refugio has 3,984 recorded births since 1885 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1927 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#2,096 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#8,259 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
3,984
born since 1885
1920s
peak decade

Yes -- Refugio is the #8259 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 3,984 recorded since 1885.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Refugio has been recorded 3,984 times among boys since 1885, currently ranked #8259 nationally and more common than 41% 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 1885 to 2025.

  • #2,096 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #8,259 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 3,984 born since 1885
  • 1920s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Refugio ranks #2,096 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #8,259 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 3,984 born since 1885, peaking in the 1920s.

#2,096 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#8,259 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
3,984
born since 1885
1920s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%40.7%
Refugio vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Refugio's 3,984 recorded births place it above 95.39% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

5 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

The state file records this name in 5 jurisdictions, led by Texas.

How Refugio compares

3,984 Top 15% higher than 85% 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

Refugio's all-time total is 11x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Refugio Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 3,984 369 358,536
Peak-year births 70 34 22,252

Refugio's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Refugio's full recorded timeline at 1964, 42% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 58% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1885, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1927 peak of 70 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Refugio popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1885–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1927)
70
Annual births at peak, across 141 years of records
020406080 188519191934194919641979199420092025 9

Refugio popularity over time - girls

863 total births recorded since 1890 (Refugio as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 863 births
01020304050 189019051914192319321942195119681988 5

Refugio by decade

1920s is the heaviest window (545 births, 14% of the file).

1920s was Refugio's strongest decade.

545 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 14% of all-time use.

Refugio births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1920s at 545 births (14% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Refugio 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 Refugio's total volume

Refugio vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%10%20%30% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -69, 6.5%-146, 4.6%-47, 5%-41, 26.6%-84, 2.3%-59, 3.3%-146, 2.2%-146, 1.5%-146, 1.7%-40, 5.1%-42, 7.1%-134, 2.4%-36, 12.6%-32, 11.5%-57, 3.3%Refugio-141, 1.8%Refugio
Refugio vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Refugio by state

Where Refugio concentrates geographically, total births since 1885

Regionally concentrated
Top 5 states by recorded births for the name Refugio
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Texas
1,848 46.4%
#2 California
1,035 26.0%
#3 Arizona
104 2.6%
#4 New Mexico
53 1.3%
#5 Illinois
20 0.5%
Texas share of Refugio's total US births 46.4%
Even split

1,848 of 3,984 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 5 reporting states.

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Refugio? ▼
3,984 babies have been named Refugio since 1885. All-time, it sits at #2,096 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #8,259 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 1927 with 70 births.
Where does Refugio sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Refugio ranks #2,096 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #8,259 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Refugio most popular? ▼
Refugio was most popular in the 1920s decade with 545 total births. The single peak year was 1927.
Where is Refugio most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Refugio are Texas (1,848 births), California (1,035 births), Arizona (104 births).
Is Refugio a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Refugio is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 3,984 births, and as a girl's name it has 863 births.
How long has the name Refugio been used? ▼
Records for Refugio go back to 1885, giving 141 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Refugio? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Refael, Refujio, Refoel, Reford, and 1 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Refugio's data

  • Refugio's decade-level peak was the 1920s (545 total births); usage has since declined to 47 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • Texas records the most Refugios (1,848 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 Refugio

Nearby Names Like Refugio

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Refugio

Refael Boy
#4339 344 births
Refujio Boy
332 births
Refoel Boy
#11314 222 births
Reford Boy
116 births
Refugia Boy
5 births

Compare Refugio side by side: Refugio vs Refael Refugio vs Refujio Refugio vs Refoel

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Refugio

Powell #8258
1,485 births · Peak 1919
Cletus #8260
7,437 births · Peak 1922
Kelley #8257
6,286 births · Peak 1968
Grafton #8261
1,080 births · Peak 1916
Camille #8256
1,398 births · Peak 1915
Maury #8262
2,512 births · Peak 1963
Elonzo #8255
236 births · Peak 2021
Ogden #8263
810 births · Peak 1917

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Refugio: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1885–2025 (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 Refugio 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.