Boys' name · since 1949
Rustin
Rustin has 2,903 recorded births since 1949 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1979 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #2,589 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,266 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 2,903
- born since 1949
- 1980s
- peak decade
2,903 babies have been named Rustin since 1949, making it today's #2266 boys' name.
Rustin has 2,903 recorded births among boys since 1949, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #2266 as of the latest data, more common than 84% of boys, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1949 to 2025.
- #2,589 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #2,266 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 2,903 born since 1949
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Rustin ranks #2,589 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,266 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 2,903 born since 1949, peaking in the 1980s.
- #2,589 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,266 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 2,903
- born since 1949
- 1980s
- peak decade
Rustin's 2,903 recorded births place it above 94.3% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
18 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Rustin compares
2,903 Top 18% higher than 82% of 13,930 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
Rustin's all-time total is 8x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Rustin | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 2,903 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 87 | 34 | 22,252 |
Rustin's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Rustin's full recorded timeline at 1989, 51% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 49% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1949, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1979 peak of 87 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Rustin popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1949–2025
- Peak year (1979)
- 87
- Annual births at peak, across 77 years of records
Rustin by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (655 births, 23% of the file).
1980s was Rustin's strongest decade.
655 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.
Rustin births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1940s 5
1940s
5 births
- 1950s 84
1950s
84 births
- 1960s 188
1960s
188 births
- 1970s
1970s
541 births
- 1980s
1980s
655 births
- 1990s
1990s
389 births
- 2000s
2000s
295 births
- 2010s
2010s
438 births
- 2020s
2020s
308 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 655 births (23% of all-time use).
How Rustin compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Rustin's total volume
Rustin by state
Where Rustin concentrates geographically, total births since 1949
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 323 | 11.1% |
| #2 | California | | 149 | 5.1% |
| #3 | Utah | | 41 | 1.4% |
| #4 | Louisiana | | 30 | 1.0% |
| #5 | Missouri | | 18 | 0.6% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 17 | 0.6% |
| #7 | Kansas | | 17 | 0.6% |
| #8 | Oklahoma | | 16 | 0.6% |
323 of 2,903 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 18 reporting states.
Rustin appears in 18 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Rustin? ▼
Where does Rustin sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Rustin most popular? ▼
Where is Rustin most popular? ▼
How long has the name Rustin been used? ▼
What names are similar to Rustin? ▼
What to do with Rustin's data
- Rustin's usage has stayed within range of its 1980s decade-level peak (655 total births) through the 2020s (308) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Texas records the most Rustins (323 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Rustin
Nearby Names Like Rustin
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Rustin
Compare Rustin side by side: Rustin vs Russell Rustin vs Rusty Rustin vs Russel
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Rustin
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Rustin: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1979)
Similar record span (~76 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, 1949–2025 (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 Rustin 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.