Total births
123,931
Boys' name · since 1880
Spencer
Spencer has 123,931 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1998 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #384
- among boys today
- 123,931
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other boys
123,931 babies have been named Spencer since 1880, making it today's #384 boys' name.
Spencer has 123,931 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #384 as of the latest data, more common than 97% of boys, busiest in the 1990s -- 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.
- #384 among boys today
- 123,931 born since 1880
- 1990s peak decade
- 97% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Spencer is currently the #384 boys' name in America, more common than 97% of boys - 123,931 born since 1880, peaking in the 1990s.
- #384
- among boys today
- 123,931
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other boys
Spencer vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#384
of 14,294 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.
How Spencer compares
123,931 Top 2% higher than 98% of 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
Spencer's all-time total is 338x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Spencer | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 123,931 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 4,619 | 23 | 22,252 |
Spencer's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Spencer's full recorded timeline at 1953, 92% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 8% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1893, with just 21 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1998 peak of 4,619 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Spencer at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1998
Current rank
#384
Active since
1880
Spencer popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1998)
- 4,619
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Spencer popularity over time - girls
5,707 total births recorded since 1922 (Spencer as girls' name)
Spencer by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Spencer's strongest decade.
38,182 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 31% of all-time use.
Spencer births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 313
1880s
313 births
- 1890s 309
1890s
309 births
- 1900s 396
1900s
396 births
- 1910s 1,373
1910s
1,373 births
- 1920s 1,866
1920s
1,866 births
- 1930s 1,786
1930s
1,786 births
- 1940s 3,036
1940s
3,036 births
- 1950s 3,154
1950s
3,154 births
- 1960s 4,416
1960s
4,416 births
- 1970s 6,897
1970s
6,897 births
- 1980s 15,183
1980s
15,183 births
- 1990s
1990s
38,182 births
- 2000s
2000s
27,452 births
- 2010s 13,826
2010s
13,826 births
- 2020s 5,742
2020s
5,742 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 38,182 births (31% of all-time use).
How Spencer 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 Spencer's total volume
Spencer vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Spencer by state
Where Spencer concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 12,852 | 10.4% |
| #2 | Texas | | 6,618 | 5.3% |
| #3 | New York | | 6,267 | 5.1% |
| #4 | Utah | | 5,454 | 4.4% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 5,114 | 4.1% |
| #6 | Florida | | 4,773 | 3.9% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 4,731 | 3.8% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 4,178 | 3.4% |
California share of Spencer's total US births 10.4%
Even split
12,852 of 123,931 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? ▼
Spencer has been given to 123,931 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #384 as of the latest data. 4,619 babies were born in 1998, its single highest year.
When was Spencer most popular? ▼
Spencer was most popular in the 1990s decade with 38,182 total births. The single peak year was 1998.
Where is Spencer most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Spencer are California (12,852 births), Texas (6,618 births), New York (6,267 births).
How long has the name Spencer been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Spencer since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
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.
What to do with Spencer's data
- Spencer's decade-level peak was the 1990s (38,182 total births); usage has since declined to 5,742 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Spencers (12,852 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- 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 Spencer
Nearby Names Like Spencer
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Spencer
Spenser Boy
#9165 2,991 births
Spence Boy
#12407 1,114 births
Spero Boy
316 births
Speed Boy
19 births
Speros Boy
11 births
Compare Spencer side by side: Spencer vs Spenser Spencer vs Spence Spencer vs Spero
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Spencer
Titus #383
26,811 births · Peak 2015
Iker #385
18,921 births · Peak 2015
Edwin #382
247,553 births · Peak 1922
Julius #386
84,628 births · Peak 1918
Eliam #381
4,439 births · Peak 2025
Marco #387
76,578 births · Peak 2005
Hector #380
108,728 births · Peak 2005
Franklin #388
141,728 births · Peak 1933
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Spencer: #384 Boys' Name - 123,931 Births, Peak 1998." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/spencer. 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 Spencer 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 June 2026.