Girls' name · since 1880
Roberta
171,548 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.
- #230 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,780 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 171,548
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
Roberta currently ranks #2780 among girls' names in America, with 171,548 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Roberta recorded 171,548 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #2780 nationally today, ahead of 84% of girls, peaking in the 1940s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #230 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #2,780 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 171,548 born since 1880
- 1940s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Roberta ranks #230 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,780 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 171,548 born since 1880, peaking in the 1940s.
- #230 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,780 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 171,548
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
Roberta's 171,548 recorded births place it above 99.68% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Roberta compares
171,548 Top 2% higher than 98% 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
Roberta's all-time total is 456x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Roberta | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 171,548 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 4,299 | 21 | 19,840 |
Roberta's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Roberta's full recorded timeline at 1953, 36% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 64% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1880, with just 34 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1953 peak of 4,299 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Roberta popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1953)
- 4,299
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Roberta popularity over time - boys
782 total births recorded since 1914 (Roberta as boys' name)
Roberta by decade
1940s is the heaviest window (38,051 births, 22% of the file).
1940s was Roberta's strongest decade.
38,051 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Roberta births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 541
1880s
541 births
- 1890s 1,120
1890s
1,120 births
- 1900s 2,372
1900s
2,372 births
- 1910s 10,370
1910s
10,370 births
- 1920s
1920s
18,219 births
- 1930s
1930s
27,731 births
- 1940s
1940s
38,051 births
- 1950s
1950s
37,916 births
- 1960s
1960s
21,101 births
- 1970s 8,094
1970s
8,094 births
- 1980s 3,281
1980s
3,281 births
- 1990s 1,299
1990s
1,299 births
- 2000s 548
2000s
548 births
- 2010s 564
2010s
564 births
- 2020s 341
2020s
341 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 38,051 births (22% of all-time use).
How Roberta 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 Roberta's total volume
Roberta by state
Where Roberta concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 15,805 | 9.2% |
| #2 | California | | 14,215 | 8.3% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 11,712 | 6.8% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 11,033 | 6.4% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 10,805 | 6.3% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 6,702 | 3.9% |
| #7 | Massachusetts | | 6,238 | 3.6% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 5,218 | 3.0% |
15,805 of 171,548 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? ▼
Where does Roberta sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Roberta most popular? ▼
Where is Roberta most popular? ▼
How long has the name Roberta been used? ▼
What names are similar to Roberta? ▼
What to do with Roberta's data
- Roberta's decade-level peak was the 1940s (38,051 total births); usage has since declined to 341 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Robertas (15,805 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Roberta
Nearby Names Like Roberta
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Roberta
Compare Roberta side by side: Roberta vs Robin Roberta vs Robyn Roberta vs Robbie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Roberta
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Roberta: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1953)
Similar record span (~145 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, 1880–2025 (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 Roberta 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.