US rank #386 Boys' name Peak 1998 123,013 births

Spencer — #386 US boys' name

123,013 babies named Spencer in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1998. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s3131890s3091900s3961910s13731920s18661930s17861940s30371950s31541960s44161970s68991980s151831990s381832000s274522010s138212020s4825
#386
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 97% of names given to boys today.

1990s
Peak decade

31% of everyone ever named Spencer was born in this single decade.

1998
Single peak year

4,619 babies were named Spencer in 1998 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Spencer

The Social Security Administration has registered 123,013 babies named Spencer between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Spencer currently holds the #386 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1998, when 4,619 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Spencer performed strongest in the 1990s, accumulating 38,183 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Spencer shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in California, which accounts for 12,811 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Texas and New York. In total, SSA state-level files list Spencer in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Spencer 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 123,013 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.

Spencer at a glance

Top 1,000 boys' name

Total births

123,013

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1998

4,619 births that year

Strongest decade: 1990s

Current rank

#386

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Spencer popularity over time — boys

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

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (1998)
4,619
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-2,00002,0004,0006,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 35

Spencer popularity over time — girls

5,461 total births recorded since 1922 (Spencer as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 5,461 births
-1000100200300 202420162008200019921984197519501922 6

Spencer by decade

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

Peak: 1990s
Peak decade
1990s
38,183 births that decade — 31% of Spencer's all-time total
1880s3131890s3091900s3961910s13731920s18661930s17861940s30371950s31541960s44161970s68991980s151831990s381832000s274522010s138212020s4825

Spencer by state

Where Spencer concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Spencer
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
12,811 10.4%
#2 Texas
6,549 5.3%
#3 New York
6,209 5.0%
#4 Utah
5,433 4.4%
#5 Ohio
5,077 4.1%
#6 Florida
4,734 3.8%
#7 Michigan
4,688 3.8%
#8 Illinois
4,148 3.4%
California share of Spencer's total US births 10.4%
Even split

12,811 of 123,013 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Spencer appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Spencer?
123,013 babies have been named Spencer since 1880. It currently ranks #386 among boys. The peak year was 1998 with 4,619 births.
When was Spencer most popular?
Spencer was most popular in the 1990s decade with 38,183 total births. The single peak year was 1998.
Where is Spencer most popular?
The top states for the name Spencer are California (12,811 births), Texas (6,549 births), New York (6,209 births).
How long has the name Spencer been used?
Spencer has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Spencer?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Spenser, Spence, Spero, Speed, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Spencer

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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.