Unisex name · since 1911
San
San has 1,876 recorded births since 1911 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1950 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #4,893 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #10,988 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,876
- born since 1911
- 1960s
- peak decade
San currently ranks #10988 among unisex names in America, with 1,876 babies recorded since 1911.
San has 1,876 recorded births among girls since 1911, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #10988 as of the latest data, more common than 36% of girls, busiest in the 1960s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1911 to 2025.
- #4,893 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #10,988 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 1,876 born since 1911
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, San ranks #4,893 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #10,988 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 1,876 born since 1911, peaking in the 1960s.
- #4,893 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #10,988 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,876
- born since 1911
- 1960s
- peak decade
San's 1,876 recorded births place it above 93.23% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 2 jurisdictions, led by Texas.
How San compares
1,876 Top 23% higher than 77% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
San's all-time total is 5x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | San | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,876 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 66 | 21 | 19,840 |
San's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
San splits its recorded history at 1965: 47% of all births land in the more recent half, 53% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1920 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1950 peak of 66 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
San popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1911–2025
- Peak year (1950)
- 66
- Annual births at peak, across 115 years of records
San popularity over time - boys
626 total births recorded since 1917 (San as boys' name)
San by decade
1960s is the heaviest window (460 births, 25% of the file).
1960s was San's strongest decade.
460 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
San births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 7
1910s
7 births
- 1920s 71
1920s
71 births
- 1930s 64
1930s
64 births
- 1940s
1940s
191 births
- 1950s
1950s
442 births
- 1960s
1960s
460 births
- 1970s
1970s
336 births
- 1980s 170
1980s
170 births
- 1990s 85
1990s
85 births
- 2000s 20
2000s
20 births
- 2010s 10
2010s
10 births
- 2020s 20
2020s
20 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 460 births (25% of all-time use).
How San compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to San's total volume
San by state
Where San concentrates geographically, total births since 1911
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 1,396 | 74.4% |
| #2 | California | | 11 | 0.6% |
1,396 of 1,876 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 2 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name San? ▼
Where does San sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was San most popular? ▼
Where is San most popular? ▼
Is San a unisex name? ▼
How long has the name San been used? ▼
What names are similar to San? ▼
What to do with San's data
- San's decade-level peak was the 1960s (460 total births); usage has since declined to 20 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Sans (1,396 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 San
Nearby Names Like San
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to San
Compare San side by side: San vs Sandra San vs Sandy San vs Sandi
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to San
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for San: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1950)
Similar record span (~114 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, 1911–2025 (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 San 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.