Boys' name · since 1963
Shain
1,215 babies named Shain in U.S. Social Security records since 1963, with the highest year being 1985. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #4,543 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #10,885 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,215
- born since 1963
- 1980s
- peak decade
Yes -- Shain is the #10885 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 1,215 recorded since 1963.
Social Security Administration records show Shain recorded 1,215 times among boys since 1963, holding rank #10885 nationally today, ahead of 22% of boys, peaking in the 1980s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1963 to 2025.
- #4,543 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #10,885 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 1,215 born since 1963
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Shain ranks #4,543 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #10,885 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,215 born since 1963, peaking in the 1980s.
- #4,543 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #10,885 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,215
- born since 1963
- 1980s
- peak decade
Shain's 1,215 recorded births place it above 90% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 5 jurisdictions, led by California.
How Shain compares
1,215 Top 29% higher than 71% 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
Shain's all-time total is 3x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Shain | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,215 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 40 | 34 | 22,252 |
Shain's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Shain's full recorded timeline at 1993, 40% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 60% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1967, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1985 peak of 40 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Shain popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1963–2025
- Peak year (1985)
- 40
- Annual births at peak, across 63 years of records
Shain popularity over time - girls
26 total births recorded since 1970 (Shain as girls' name)
Shain by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (300 births, 25% of the file).
1980s was Shain's strongest decade.
300 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Shain births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1960s 52
1960s
52 births
- 1970s
1970s
286 births
- 1980s
1980s
300 births
- 1990s
1990s
253 births
- 2000s
2000s
200 births
- 2010s 102
2010s
102 births
- 2020s 22
2020s
22 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 300 births (25% of all-time use).
How Shain 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 Shain's total volume
Shain by state
Where Shain concentrates geographically, total births since 1963
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 50 | 4.1% |
| #2 | New York | | 11 | 0.9% |
| #3 | Florida | | 5 | 0.4% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 5 | 0.4% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 5 | 0.4% |
50 of 1,215 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 5 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Shain's data
- Shain's decade-level peak was the 1980s (300 total births); usage has since declined to 22 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Shains (50 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Shain
Nearby Names Like Shain
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Shain
Compare Shain side by side: Shain vs Shawn Shain vs Shane Shain vs Shaun
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Shain
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Shain: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1985)
Similar record span (~62 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, 1963–2025 (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 Shain 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.