US rank #2741 Girls' name Peak 1953 171,485 births

Roberta — #2741 US girls' name

171,485 babies named Roberta in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1953. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s5411890s11201900s23721910s103701920s182191930s277311940s380501950s379151960s211011970s80941980s32811990s12992000s5482010s5642020s280
#2741
of 17,661 girls in use

More common than 84% of names given to girls today.

1940s
Peak decade

22% of everyone ever named Roberta was born in this single decade.

1953
Single peak year

4,299 babies were named Roberta in 1953 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Roberta

The Social Security Administration has registered 171,485 babies named Roberta between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Roberta currently holds the #2741 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1953, when 4,299 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Roberta performed strongest in the 1940s, accumulating 38,050 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Roberta shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 15,804 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by California and Pennsylvania. In total, SSA state-level files list Roberta in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Roberta in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 171,485 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Roberta at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

171,485

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1953

4,299 births that year

Strongest decade: 1940s

Current rank

#2,741

Among girls

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Roberta popularity over time — girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1953)
4,299
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-1,00001,0002,0003,0004,0005,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 34

Roberta popularity over time — boys

782 total births recorded since 1914 (Roberta as boys' name)

Unisex variant — 782 births
0510152025 199019791967195819491940193119221914 5

Roberta by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1940s
Peak decade
1940s
38,050 births that decade — 22% of Roberta's all-time total
1880s5411890s11201900s23721910s103701920s182191930s277311940s380501950s379151960s211011970s80941980s32811990s12992000s5482010s5642020s280

Roberta by state

Where Roberta concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Roberta
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
15,804 9.2%
#2 California
14,209 8.3%
#3 Pennsylvania
11,712 6.8%
#4 Illinois
11,033 6.4%
#5 Ohio
10,805 6.3%
#6 Michigan
6,701 3.9%
#7 Massachusetts
6,238 3.6%
#8 Indiana
5,218 3.0%
New York share of Roberta's total US births 9.2%
Even split

15,804 of 171,485 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Roberta appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Roberta?
171,485 babies have been named Roberta since 1880. It currently ranks #2741 among girls. The peak year was 1953 with 4,299 births.
When was Roberta most popular?
Roberta was most popular in the 1940s decade with 38,050 total births. The single peak year was 1953.
Where is Roberta most popular?
The top states for the name Roberta are New York (15,804 births), California (14,209 births), Pennsylvania (11,712 births).
How long has the name Roberta been used?
Roberta has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Roberta?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Robin, Robyn, Robbie, Robert, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

Keep exploring Roberta

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.