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.
More common than 76% of names given to boys today.
24% of everyone ever named Rudolph was born in this single decade.
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 1,000Peak year
Current rank
Active since
Rudolph popularity over time — boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880
- Peak year (1927)
- 1,690
- Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
Currently ranks #3382 among boys.
53,413 total births across 145 years of SSA records. Peaked in 1927 with 1,690 births in a single year.
Rudolph popularity over time — girls
197 total births recorded since 1914 (Rudolph as girls' name)
Unisex use remains the minority pattern
The girls' variant of Rudolph accounts for 0% of total recorded use across both genders.
Rudolph by decade
Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance
- Peak decade
- 1920s
- 12,561 births that decade — 24% of Rudolph's all-time total
Rudolph decade highlights
- Peak decade 12,561 births
- Runner-up 8,199 births
- Modern era share 2010s + 2020s
- Decades tracked with recorded births
1920s was Rudolph's strongest decade
12,561 babies received the name during that ten-year window — about 24% of all-time use.
Rudolph by state
Where Rudolph concentrates geographically — total births since 1880
| 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% |
5,679 of 53,413 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Top 5 states
- New York 10.6% of nationwide
- California 7.4% of nationwide
- Pennsylvania 7.3% of nationwide
- Texas 6.1% of nationwide
- Illinois 5.7% of nationwide
Recorded in 50 of 51 SSA jurisdictions
New York accounts for 10.6% of all recorded births nationwide — a relatively diffuse profile for this name.
Rudolph appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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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.