Boys' name · since 1923
Sho
461 babies named Sho in U.S. Social Security records since 1923, with the highest year being 1990. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #8,276 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #9,007 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 461
- born since 1923
- 1990s
- peak decade
Yes -- Sho is the #9007 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 461 recorded since 1923.
Sho has 461 recorded births among boys since 1923, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #9007 as of the latest data, more common than 35% of boys, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1923 to 2025.
- #8,276 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #9,007 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 461 born since 1923
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sho ranks #8,276 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #9,007 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 461 born since 1923, peaking in the 1990s.
- #8,276 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #9,007 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 461
- born since 1923
- 1990s
- peak decade
Sho's 461 recorded births place it above 81.79% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 2 jurisdictions, led by California.
How Sho compares
461 Top 46% higher than 54% 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
Sho's all-time total is 25% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sho | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 461 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 20 | 34 | 22,252 |
Sho's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Sho's SSA record in two at 2004 and the more recent half accounts for 46% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 54%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1982, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1990 peak of 20, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Sho popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1923–2025
- Peak year (1990)
- 20
- Annual births at peak, across 103 years of records
Sho by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (129 births, 28% of the file).
1990s was Sho's strongest decade.
129 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 28% of all-time use.
Sho births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s 8
1920s
8 births
- 1980s
1980s
55 births
- 1990s
1990s
129 births
- 2000s
2000s
111 births
- 2010s
2010s
112 births
- 2020s 46
2020s
46 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 129 births (28% of all-time use).
Sho by state
Where Sho concentrates geographically, total births since 1923
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 73 | 15.8% |
| #2 | New York | | 10 | 2.2% |
73 of 461 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 2 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Sho's data
- Sho's usage has stayed within range of its 1990s decade-level peak (129 total births) through the 2020s (46) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Shos (73 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 Sho
Nearby Names Like Sho
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sho
Compare Sho side by side: Sho vs Shon Sho vs Sholom Sho vs Shomari
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sho
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Sho: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1990)
Similar record span (~102 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, 1923–2025 (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 Sho 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.