Boys' name · since 1890
Speed
Speed has 19 recorded births since 1890 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1921 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #29,508 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 19
- born since 1890
- 1920s
- peak decade
19 boys have been named Speed since 1890, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.
Social Security Administration records show Speed recorded 19 times among boys since 1890, though it doesn't currently rank among the most-used boys names, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1890 to 1921.
- #29,508 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 19 born since 1890
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Speed ranks #29,508 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 19 born since 1890, peaking in the 1920s.
- #29,508 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 19
- born since 1890
- 1920s
- peak decade
Speed's 19 recorded births place it above 35.01% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
Speed's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Speed splits its recorded history at 1918: 74% of all births land in the more recent half, 26% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1890 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1921 peak of 9 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Speed popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1890–1921
- Peak year (1921)
- 9
- Annual births at peak, across 32 years of records
Speed by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (9 births, 47% of the file).
1920s was Speed's strongest decade.
9 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 47% of all-time use.
Speed births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s
1890s
5 births
- 1910s
1910s
5 births
- 1920s
1920s
9 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 9 births (47% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
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Keep exploring Speed
Nearby Names Like Speed
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Speed
Compare Speed side by side: Speed vs Spencer Speed vs Spenser Speed vs Spence
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Speed: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1921)
Similar record span (~31 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, 1890–1921 (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 Speed 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.