US rank #3382 Boys' name Peak 1927 53,413 births

Rudolph — #3382 US boys' name

53,413 babies named Rudolph in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1927. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s6521890s9981900s13391910s68571920s125611930s81991940s65531950s66501960s35351970s21861980s17031990s10542000s5892010s3922020s145
#3382
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 76% of names given to boys today.

1920s
Peak decade

24% of everyone ever named Rudolph was born in this single decade.

1927
Single peak year

1,690 babies were named Rudolph in 1927 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Rudolph

The Social Security Administration has registered 53,413 babies named Rudolph between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Rudolph currently holds the #3382 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1927, when 1,690 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Rudolph performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 12,561 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Rudolph shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 5,679 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by California and Pennsylvania. In total, SSA state-level files list Rudolph in 50 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Rudolph 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 53,413 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.

Rudolph at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

53,413

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1927

1,690 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#3,382

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Rudolph popularity over time — boys

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

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1927)
1,690
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-50005001,0001,5002,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 54

Rudolph popularity over time — girls

197 total births recorded since 1914 (Rudolph as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 197 births
05101520 1974194619341930192619201914 7

Rudolph by decade

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

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
12,561 births that decade — 24% of Rudolph's all-time total
1880s6521890s9981900s13391910s68571920s125611930s81991940s65531950s66501960s35351970s21861980s17031990s10542000s5892010s3922020s145

Rudolph by state

Where Rudolph concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Rudolph
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
5,679 10.6%
#2 California
3,946 7.4%
#3 Pennsylvania
3,874 7.3%
#4 Texas
3,242 6.1%
#5 Illinois
3,035 5.7%
#6 North Carolina
1,994 3.7%
#7 New Jersey
1,905 3.6%
#8 Ohio
1,748 3.3%
New York share of Rudolph's total US births 10.6%
Even split

5,679 of 53,413 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.

Rudolph appears in 50 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Rudolph?
53,413 babies have been named Rudolph since 1880. It currently ranks #3382 among boys. The peak year was 1927 with 1,690 births.
When was Rudolph most popular?
Rudolph was most popular in the 1920s decade with 12,561 total births. The single peak year was 1927.
Where is Rudolph most popular?
The top states for the name Rudolph are New York (5,679 births), California (3,946 births), Pennsylvania (3,874 births).
How long has the name Rudolph been used?
Rudolph has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Rudolph?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Rudy, Rudolf, Rudolfo, Rudra, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Rudolph

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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.