Total births
131
Boys' name · since 1918
Smokey
Since 1918, U.S. Social Security records show 131 babies named Smokey, peaking in 1977. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #10007
- among boys today
- 131
- born since 1918
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 30%
- more common than other boys
Smokey currently ranks #10007 among boys' names in America, with 131 babies recorded since 1918.
Social Security Administration records show Smokey recorded 131 times among boys since 1918, holding rank #10007 nationally today, ahead of 30% of boys, peaking in the 1970s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1918 to 2024.
- #10007 among boys today
- 131 born since 1918
- 1970s peak decade
- 30% more common than other boys
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
Smokey is currently the #10007 boys' name in America, more common than 30% of boys - 131 born since 1918, peaking in the 1970s.
- #10007
- among boys today
- 131
- born since 1918
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 30%
- more common than other boys
Smokey vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#10007
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 30% of names given to boys today.
1970s
Peak decade
39% of everyone ever named Smokey was born in this single decade.
1977
Single peak year
11 babies were named Smokey in 1977 - its busiest year on record.
How Smokey compares
131 30th percentile among 14,294 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
Smokey's all-time total is 64% below the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Smokey | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 131 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 11 | 23 | 22,252 |
Smokey's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Smokey splits its recorded history at 1978: 51% of all births land in the more recent half, 49% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1954 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1977 peak of 11 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Smokey at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1977
Current rank
#10,007
Active since
1918
Smokey popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1918–2024
- Peak year (1977)
- 11
- Annual births at peak, across 107 years of records
Smokey by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1970s was Smokey's strongest decade.
51 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 39% of all-time use.
Smokey births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 6
1910s
6 births
- 1950s 11
1950s
11 births
- 1960s 10
1960s
10 births
- 1970s
1970s
51 births
- 1980s
1980s
25 births
- 1990s 5
1990s
5 births
- 2000s 10
2000s
10 births
- 2010s 6
2010s
6 births
- 2020s 7
2020s
7 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 51 births (39% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Smokey? ▼
Smokey has been given to 131 babies in the U.S. since 1918, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #10007 as of the latest data. 11 babies were born in 1977, its single highest year.
When was Smokey most popular? ▼
Smokey was most popular in the 1970s decade with 51 total births. The single peak year was 1977.
How long has the name Smokey been used? ▼
Records for Smokey go back to 1918, giving 107 years of history through 2024.
What to do with Smokey's data
- Smokey's decade-level peak was the 1970s (51 total births); usage has since declined to 7 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Smokey
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Smokey
Data Sources
Data as of July 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, 1918–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Smokey: #10007 Boys' Name - 131 Births, Peak 1977." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/smokey. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Smokey 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 July 2026.