US rank #1575 Boys' name Peak 2016 5,354 births

Smith — #1575 US boys' name

5,354 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.

1880s1811890s1431900s1681910s4811920s5591930s3761940s2771950s1991960s1641970s1311980s2201990s2042000s3942010s12582020s599
#1575
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 89% of names given to boys today.

2010s
Peak decade

23% of everyone ever named Smith was born in this single decade.

2016
Single peak year

162 babies were named Smith in 2016 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Smith

The Social Security Administration has registered 5,354 babies named Smith between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Smith currently holds the #1575 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 2016, when 162 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Smith performed strongest in the 2010s, accumulating 1,258 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Smith shows notable generational variation in parental adoption. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in Texas, which accounts for 249 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by North Carolina and California. In total, SSA state-level files list Smith in 25 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Smith in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 5,354 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Smith at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

5,354

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

2016

162 births that year

Strongest decade: 2010s

Current rank

#1,575

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Smith popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (2016)
162
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-50050100150200 202420061988196919511933191518971880 15

Smith popularity over time — girls

181 total births recorded since 1972 (Smith as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 181 births
05101520 20242021201820152012200719851972 5

Smith by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 2010s
Peak decade
2010s
1,258 births that decade — 23% of Smith's all-time total
1880s1811890s1431900s1681910s4811920s5591930s3761940s2771950s1991960s1641970s1311980s2201990s2042000s3942010s12582020s599

Smith by state

Where Smith concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Smith
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Texas
249 4.7%
#2 North Carolina
213 4.0%
#3 California
211 3.9%
#4 Georgia
199 3.7%
#5 Florida
132 2.5%
#6 Tennessee
90 1.7%
#7 South Carolina
87 1.6%
#8 New York
79 1.5%
Texas share of Smith's total US births 4.7%
Even split

249 of 5,354 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?
5,354 babies have been named Smith since 1880. It currently ranks #1575 among boys. The peak year was 2016 with 162 births.
When was Smith most popular?
Smith was most popular in the 2010s decade with 1,258 total births. The single peak year was 2016.
Where is Smith most popular?
The top states for the name Smith are Texas (249 births), North Carolina (213 births), California (211 births).
How long has the name Smith been used?
Smith has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Smith?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Smiley, Smitty, Smit, Smithy. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.