Total births
43,288
Boys' name · since 1880
Saul
Saul has 43,288 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2006 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #559
- among boys today
- 43,288
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other boys
43,288 babies have been named Saul since 1880, making it today's #559 boys' name.
Saul has 43,288 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #559 as of the latest data, more common than 96% of boys, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #559 among boys today
- 43,288 born since 1880
- 2000s peak decade
- 96% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Saul is currently the #559 boys' name in America, more common than 96% of boys - 43,288 born since 1880, peaking in the 2000s.
- #559
- among boys today
- 43,288
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other boys
Saul vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#559
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 96% of names given to boys today.
2000s
Peak decade
24% of everyone ever named Saul was born in this single decade.
2006
Single peak year
1,120 babies were named Saul in 2006 - its busiest year on record.
How Saul compares
43,288 Top 4% higher than 96% 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
Saul's all-time total is 118x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Saul | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 43,288 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,120 | 23 | 22,252 |
Saul's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Saul splits its recorded history at 1954: 84% of all births land in the more recent half, 16% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1883 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2006 peak of 1,120 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Saul at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
2006
Current rank
#559
Active since
1880
Saul popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2006)
- 1,120
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Saul popularity over time - girls
74 total births recorded since 1980 (Saul as girls' name)
Saul by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Saul's strongest decade.
10,535 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Saul births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 87
1880s
87 births
- 1890s 115
1890s
115 births
- 1900s 245
1900s
245 births
- 1910s 1,662
1910s
1,662 births
- 1920s 1,996
1920s
1,996 births
- 1930s 1,233
1930s
1,233 births
- 1940s 972
1940s
972 births
- 1950s 1,241
1950s
1,241 births
- 1960s 1,519
1960s
1,519 births
- 1970s 2,712
1970s
2,712 births
- 1980s 4,109
1980s
4,109 births
- 1990s
1990s
7,388 births
- 2000s
2000s
10,535 births
- 2010s
2010s
6,315 births
- 2020s 3,159
2020s
3,159 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 10,535 births (24% of all-time use).
How Saul 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 Saul's total volume
Saul vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Saul by state
Where Saul concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 12,073 | 27.9% |
| #2 | Texas | | 8,447 | 19.5% |
| #3 | New York | | 4,572 | 10.6% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 2,018 | 4.7% |
| #5 | Arizona | | 1,323 | 3.1% |
| #6 | Florida | | 1,034 | 2.4% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 860 | 2.0% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 803 | 1.9% |
California share of Saul's total US births 27.9%
Even split
12,073 of 43,288 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 39 reporting states.
Saul appears in 39 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Saul? ▼
43,288 babies have been named Saul since 1880. It currently ranks #559 among boys. The peak year was 2006 with 1,120 births.
When was Saul most popular? ▼
Saul was most popular in the 2000s decade with 10,535 total births. The single peak year was 2006.
Where is Saul most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Saul are California (12,073 births), Texas (8,447 births), New York (4,572 births).
How long has the name Saul been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Saul since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Saul? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Saulo, Saud, Saurav, Saunders, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Saul's data
- Saul's decade-level peak was the 2000s (10,535 total births); usage has since declined to 3,159 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Sauls (12,073 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California 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 Saul
Nearby Names Like Saul
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Saul
Saulo Boy
#6265 692 births
Saud Boy
#6954 511 births
Saurav Boy
203 births
Saunders Boy
#11006 193 births
Saurabh Boy
72 births
Compare Saul side by side: Saul vs Saulo Saul vs Saud Saul vs Saurav
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Saul
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. "Saul: #559 Boys' Name - 43,288 Births, Peak 2006." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/saul. 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 Saul 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.