Boys' name · since 1909

Sal

3,663 babies named Sal in U.S. Social Security records since 1909, with the highest year being 1958. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#2,232 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#6,471 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
3,663
born since 1909
1960s
peak decade

3,663 babies have been named Sal since 1909, making it today's #6471 boys' name.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sal has been recorded 3,663 times among boys since 1909, currently ranked #6471 nationally and more common than 54% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1960s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1909 to 2025.

  • #2,232 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #6,471 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 3,663 born since 1909
  • 1960s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sal ranks #2,232 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #6,471 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 3,663 born since 1909, peaking in the 1960s.

#2,232 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#6,471 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
3,663
born since 1909
1960s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%53.5%
Sal vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Sal's 3,663 recorded births place it above 95.09% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

10 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

10 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.

How Sal compares

3,663 Top 16% higher than 84% 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

Sal's all-time total is 10x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Sal Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 3,663 369 358,536
Peak-year births 114 34 22,252

Sal's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Sal's full recorded timeline at 1967, 32% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 68% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2007, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1958 peak of 114 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Sal popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1909–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1958)
114
Annual births at peak, across 117 years of records
050100150 190919251940195519701985200020172025 13

Sal by decade

1960s is the heaviest window (759 births, 21% of the file).

1960s was Sal's strongest decade.

759 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.

Sal births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1960s at 759 births (21% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Sal 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 Sal's total volume

Sal vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8%10%12% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -52, 3.4%-70, 4.4%-56, 7.6%-32, 9.2%-146, 1.8%-33, 6%-109, 5.6%-50, 5.3%-47, 9.7%-141, 2.5%-111, 2.9%-43, 7.1%-140, 2.8%-145, 1.7%-115, 3.4%Sal-117, 3.1%Sal
Sal vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Sal by state

Where Sal concentrates geographically, total births since 1909

Regionally concentrated
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Sal
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
1,430 39.0%
#2 California
677 18.5%
#3 New Jersey
190 5.2%
#4 Texas
17 0.5%
#5 Connecticut
10 0.3%
#6 Louisiana
10 0.3%
#7 Massachusetts
7 0.2%
#8 Illinois
6 0.2%
New York share of Sal's total US births 39.0%
Even split

1,430 of 3,663 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 10 reporting states.

Sal appears in 10 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Sal? ▼
3,663 babies have been named Sal since 1909. All-time, it sits at #2,232 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #6,471 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 1958 with 114 births.
Where does Sal sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sal ranks #2,232 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #6,471 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Sal most popular? ▼
Sal was most popular in the 1960s decade with 759 total births. The single peak year was 1958.
Where is Sal most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Sal are New York (1,430 births), California (677 births), New Jersey (190 births).
How long has the name Sal been used? ▼
Records for Sal go back to 1909, giving 117 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Sal? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Salvatore, Salvador, Salem, Salomon, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Sal's data

  • Sal's decade-level peak was the 1960s (759 total births); usage has since declined to 69 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • New York records the most Sals (1,430 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 Sal

Nearby Names Like Sal

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sal

Salvatore Boy
#944 57,364 births
Salvador Boy
#755 49,605 births
Salem Boy
#679 4,687 births
Salomon Boy
#1754 3,864 births
Salman Boy
#2497 2,583 births

Compare Sal side by side: Sal vs Salvatore Sal vs Salvador Sal vs Salem

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Sal

Carlin #6470
2,626 births · Peak 1992
Eligio #6472
1,548 births · Peak 1985
Neville #6469
2,343 births · Peak 1975
Cornelio #6473
1,600 births · Peak 1989
Sun #6468
504 births · Peak 2024
Osmond #6474
470 births · Peak 2022
Cipriano #6467
2,226 births · Peak 1930
Artemus #6475
676 births · Peak 1971

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Sal: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1909–2025 (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 Sal 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.