Total births
4,370
Girls' name · since 1896
Santa
Santa has 4,370 recorded births since 1896 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1923 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #5306
- among girls today
- 4,370
- born since 1896
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 70%
- more common than other girls
Santa currently ranks #5306 among girls' names in America, with 4,370 babies recorded since 1896.
Santa has 4,370 recorded births among girls since 1896, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #5306 as of the latest data, more common than 70% of girls, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1896 to 2025.
- #5306 among girls today
- 4,370 born since 1896
- 1920s peak decade
- 70% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Santa is currently the #5306 girls' name in America, more common than 70% of girls - 4,370 born since 1896, peaking in the 1920s.
- #5306
- among girls today
- 4,370
- born since 1896
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 70%
- more common than other girls
Santa vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#5306
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 70% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
17% of everyone ever named Santa was born in this single decade.
1923
Single peak year
89 babies were named Santa in 1923 - its busiest year on record.
How Santa compares
4,370 Top 14% higher than 86% of 17,726 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
Santa's all-time total is 11x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Santa | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 4,370 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 89 | 48 | 19,840 |
Santa's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Santa's full recorded timeline at 1963, 35% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 65% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1900, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1923 peak of 89 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Santa at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1923
Current rank
#5,306
Active since
1896
Santa popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1896–2025
- Peak year (1923)
- 89
- Annual births at peak, across 130 years of records
Santa popularity over time - boys
40 total births recorded since 1913 (Santa as boys' name)
Santa by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Santa's strongest decade.
735 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Santa births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 12
1890s
12 births
- 1900s 88
1900s
88 births
- 1910s
1910s
556 births
- 1920s
1920s
735 births
- 1930s
1930s
453 births
- 1940s
1940s
381 births
- 1950s
1950s
477 births
- 1960s
1960s
453 births
- 1970s
1970s
439 births
- 1980s 276
1980s
276 births
- 1990s 216
1990s
216 births
- 2000s 113
2000s
113 births
- 2010s 97
2010s
97 births
- 2020s 74
2020s
74 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 735 births (17% of all-time use).
How Santa 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 Santa's total volume
Santa vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Santa by state
Where Santa concentrates geographically, total births since 1896
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 1,251 | 28.6% |
| #2 | Texas | | 672 | 15.4% |
| #3 | California | | 161 | 3.7% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 116 | 2.7% |
| #5 | New Jersey | | 106 | 2.4% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 96 | 2.2% |
| #7 | Massachusetts | | 95 | 2.2% |
| #8 | Louisiana | | 10 | 0.2% |
New York share of Santa's total US births 28.6%
Even split
1,251 of 4,370 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 9 reporting states.
Santa appears in 9 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Santa? ▼
Santa has been given to 4,370 babies in the U.S. since 1896, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #5306 as of the latest data. 89 babies were born in 1923, its single highest year.
When was Santa most popular? ▼
Santa was most popular in the 1920s decade with 735 total births. The single peak year was 1923.
Where is Santa most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Santa are New York (1,251 births), Texas (672 births), California (161 births).
How long has the name Santa been used? ▼
Santa has been recorded in Social Security data since 1896, spanning 130 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Santa? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Sandra, Sandy, Sandi, Saniyah, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Santa's data
- Santa's decade-level peak was the 1920s (735 total births); usage has since declined to 74 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Santas (1,251 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York 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 Santa
Nearby Names Like Santa
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Santa
Sandra Girl
#1046 875,531 births
Sandy Girl
#3233 69,072 births
Sandi Girl
#15517 10,101 births
Saniyah Girl
#1312 7,300 births
Saniya Girl
#2576 6,985 births
Compare Santa side by side: Santa vs Sandra Santa vs Sandy Santa vs Sandi
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Santa
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, 1896–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Santa: #5306 Girls' Name - 4,370 Births, Peak 1923." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/santa. 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 Santa 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.