Boys' name · since 1880
Smith
5,475 babies named Smith in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2016. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1,690 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,479 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 5,475
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Yes -- Smith is the #1479 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 5,475 recorded since 1880.
Smith has 5,475 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1479 as of the latest data, more common than 89% of boys, busiest in the 2010s -- 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.
- #1,690 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,479 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 5,475 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Smith ranks #1,690 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,479 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 5,475 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #1,690 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,479 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 5,475
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Smith's 5,475 recorded births place it above 96.28% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
25 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Smith compares
5,475 Top 12% higher than 88% 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
Smith's all-time total is 15x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Smith | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 5,475 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 162 | 34 | 22,252 |
Smith's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Smith's full recorded timeline at 1952, 59% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 41% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1971, with just 7 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2016 peak of 162 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Smith popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2016)
- 162
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Smith popularity over time - girls
189 total births recorded since 1972 (Smith as girls' name)
Smith by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (1,259 births, 23% of the file).
2010s was Smith's strongest decade.
1,259 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.
Smith births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 181
1880s
181 births
- 1890s 143
1890s
143 births
- 1900s 168
1900s
168 births
- 1910s 481
1910s
481 births
- 1920s
1920s
559 births
- 1930s 376
1930s
376 births
- 1940s 277
1940s
277 births
- 1950s 199
1950s
199 births
- 1960s 164
1960s
164 births
- 1970s 131
1970s
131 births
- 1980s 220
1980s
220 births
- 1990s 204
1990s
204 births
- 2000s 394
2000s
394 births
- 2010s
2010s
1,259 births
- 2020s
2020s
719 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 1,259 births (23% of all-time use).
How Smith 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 Smith's total volume
Smith by state
Where Smith concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 257 | 4.7% |
| #2 | North Carolina | | 231 | 4.2% |
| #3 | California | | 219 | 4.0% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 211 | 3.9% |
| #5 | Florida | | 132 | 2.4% |
| #6 | Tennessee | | 95 | 1.7% |
| #7 | South Carolina | | 93 | 1.7% |
| #8 | New York | | 79 | 1.4% |
257 of 5,475 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 25 reporting states.
Smith appears in 25 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Smith? ▼
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What to do with Smith's data
- Smith's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (1,259 total births) through the 2020s (719) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Texas records the most Smiths (257 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Smith
Nearby Names Like Smith
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Smith
Compare Smith side by side: Smith vs Smiley Smith vs Smitty Smith vs Smit
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Smith
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Smith: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2016)
Similar record span (~145 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, 1880–2025 (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 Smith 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.