Total births
355
Boys' name · since 1978
Rourke
Rourke has 355 recorded births since 1978 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2012 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #8512
- among boys today
- 355
- born since 1978
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 40%
- more common than other boys
Rourke currently ranks #8512 among boys' names in America, with 355 babies recorded since 1978.
Rourke has 355 recorded births among boys since 1978, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #8512 as of the latest data, more common than 40% of boys, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1978 to 2025.
- #8512 among boys today
- 355 born since 1978
- 2010s peak decade
- 40% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Rourke is currently the #8512 boys' name in America, more common than 40% of boys - 355 born since 1978, peaking in the 2010s.
- #8512
- among boys today
- 355
- born since 1978
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 40%
- more common than other boys
Rourke vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#8512
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 40% of names given to boys today.
2010s
Peak decade
35% of everyone ever named Rourke was born in this single decade.
2012
Single peak year
17 babies were named Rourke in 2012 - its busiest year on record.
How Rourke compares
355 49th percentile among 14,294 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
Rourke's all-time total is 3% below the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Rourke | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 355 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 17 | 23 | 22,252 |
Rourke's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Rourke's full recorded timeline at 2008, 61% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 39% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1978, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2012 peak of 17 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Rourke at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2012
Current rank
#8,512
Active since
1978
Rourke popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1978–2025
- Peak year (2012)
- 17
- Annual births at peak, across 48 years of records
Rourke by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Rourke's strongest decade.
125 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 35% of all-time use.
Rourke births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 5
1970s
5 births
- 1980s 11
1980s
11 births
- 1990s
1990s
66 births
- 2000s
2000s
81 births
- 2010s
2010s
125 births
- 2020s
2020s
67 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 125 births (35% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Rourke? ▼
355 babies have been named Rourke since 1978. It currently ranks #8512 among boys. The peak year was 2012 with 17 births.
When was Rourke most popular? ▼
Rourke was most popular in the 2010s decade with 125 total births. The single peak year was 2012.
How long has the name Rourke been used? ▼
Rourke has been recorded in Social Security data since 1978, spanning 48 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Rourke? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Roux, Roudy, Rounak, Roudolph, and 3 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Rourke's data
- Rourke's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (125 total births) through the 2020s (67) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Rourke
Nearby Names Like Rourke
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Rourke
Roux Boy
#6773 125 births
Roudy Boy
21 births
Rounak Boy
11 births
Roudolph Boy
10 births
Rouldph Boy
5 births
Compare Rourke side by side: Rourke vs Roux Rourke vs Roudy Rourke vs Rounak
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Rourke
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1978–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Rourke: #8512 Boys' Name - 355 Births, Peak 2012." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/rourke. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Rourke 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 June 2026.