Total births
2,392
Boys' name · since 1880
Sanders
2,392 babies named Sanders in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1951. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #6478
- among boys today
- 2,392
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 55%
- more common than other boys
2,392 babies have been named Sanders since 1880, making it today's #6478 boys' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sanders has been recorded 2,392 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #6478 nationally and more common than 55% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1950s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #6478 among boys today
- 2,392 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 55% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Sanders is currently the #6478 boys' name in America, more common than 55% of boys - 2,392 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #6478
- among boys today
- 2,392
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 55%
- more common than other boys
Sanders vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#6478
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 55% of names given to boys today.
1950s
Peak decade
12% of everyone ever named Sanders was born in this single decade.
1951
Single peak year
47 babies were named Sanders in 1951 - its busiest year on record.
How Sanders compares
2,392 Top 19% higher than 81% of 14,294 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
Sanders's all-time total is 7x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sanders | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 2,392 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 47 | 23 | 22,252 |
Sanders's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Sanders splits its recorded history at 1953: 46% of all births land in the more recent half, 54% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1892 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1951 peak of 47 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Sanders at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1951
Current rank
#6,478
Active since
1880
Sanders popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1951)
- 47
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Sanders popularity over time - girls
6 total births recorded since 1965 (Sanders as girls' name)
Sanders by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Sanders's strongest decade.
282 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 12% of all-time use.
Sanders births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 77
1880s
77 births
- 1890s 64
1890s
64 births
- 1900s 81
1900s
81 births
- 1910s
1910s
223 births
- 1920s
1920s
265 births
- 1930s
1930s
227 births
- 1940s
1940s
260 births
- 1950s
1950s
282 births
- 1960s
1960s
165 births
- 1970s
1970s
128 births
- 1980s
1980s
113 births
- 1990s
1990s
130 births
- 2000s
2000s
124 births
- 2010s
2010s
161 births
- 2020s 92
2020s
92 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 282 births (12% of all-time use).
How Sanders 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 Sanders's total volume
Sanders vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Sanders by state
Where Sanders concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Georgia | | 101 | 4.2% |
| #2 | Louisiana | | 55 | 2.3% |
| #3 | South Carolina | | 40 | 1.7% |
| #4 | Alabama | | 25 | 1.0% |
| #5 | New York | | 14 | 0.6% |
| #6 | California | | 5 | 0.2% |
| #7 | Florida | | 5 | 0.2% |
| #8 | Mississippi | | 5 | 0.2% |
Georgia share of Sanders's total US births 4.2%
Even split
101 of 2,392 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 8 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Sanders? ▼
Sanders has been given to 2,392 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #6478 as of the latest data. 47 babies were born in 1951, its single highest year.
When was Sanders most popular? ▼
Sanders was most popular in the 1950s decade with 282 total births. The single peak year was 1951.
Where is Sanders most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Sanders are Georgia (101 births), Louisiana (55 births), South Carolina (40 births).
How long has the name Sanders been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Sanders since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Sanders? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Santiago, Santos, Sanford, Santino, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Sanders's data
- Sanders's decade-level peak was the 1950s (282 total births); usage has since declined to 92 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Georgia records the most Sanderss (101 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Georgia names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Sanders
Nearby Names Like Sanders
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sanders
Santiago Boy
#29 103,828 births
Santos Boy
#834 18,814 births
Sanford Boy
#6834 15,044 births
Santino Boy
#363 13,624 births
Sandy Boy
#7259 10,458 births
Compare Sanders side by side: Sanders vs Santiago Sanders vs Santos Sanders vs Sanford
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sanders
Richmond #6477
4,305 births · Peak 1921
Alvis #6479
5,206 births · Peak 1924
Buster #6476
8,173 births · Peak 1918
Garret #6480
13,247 births · Peak 2000
Llewellyn #6475
3,414 births · Peak 1916
Antone #6481
5,967 births · Peak 1921
Zeb #6474
2,750 births · Peak 1979
Talmage #6482
2,281 births · Peak 1922
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Sanders: #6478 Boys' Name - 2,392 Births, Peak 1951." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/sanders. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Sanders 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 June 2026.