Boys' name · since 1973
Sly
Since 1973, U.S. Social Security records show 101 babies named Sly, peaking in 2025. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #17,384 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #7,819 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 101
- born since 1973
- 1990s
- peak decade
101 babies have been named Sly since 1973, making it today's #7819 boys' name.
Social Security Administration records show Sly recorded 101 times among boys since 1973, holding rank #7819 nationally today, ahead of 44% of boys, peaking in the 1990s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1973 to 2025.
- #17,384 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #7,819 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 101 born since 1973
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sly ranks #17,384 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,819 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 101 born since 1973, peaking in the 1990s.
- #17,384 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #7,819 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 101
- born since 1973
- 1990s
- peak decade
Sly's 101 recorded births place it above 61.75% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
How Sly compares
101 26th percentile among 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
Sly's all-time total is 73% below the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sly | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 101 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 10 | 34 | 22,252 |
Sly's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Sly's full recorded timeline at 2008, 53% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 47% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1984, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2025 peak of 10 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Sly popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1973–2025
- Peak year (2025)
- 10
- Annual births at peak, across 53 years of records
Sly by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (25 births, 25% of the file).
1990s was Sly's strongest decade.
25 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Sly births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s
1970s
12 births
- 1980s 5
1980s
5 births
- 1990s
1990s
25 births
- 2000s
2000s
11 births
- 2010s
2010s
24 births
- 2020s
2020s
24 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 25 births (25% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Sly? ▼
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When was Sly most popular? ▼
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What to do with Sly's data
- Sly's usage has stayed within range of its 1990s decade-level peak (25 total births) through the 2020s (24) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Sly
Nearby Names Like Sly
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sly
Compare Sly side by side: Sly vs Slyvester
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sly
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Sly: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2025)
Similar record span (~52 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, 1973–2025 (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 Sly 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.