US rank #873 Boys' name Peak 1954 301,142 births

Stanley — #873 US boys' name

301,142 babies named Stanley in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1954. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s9971890s22971900s41561910s359081920s494561930s371311940s462631950s571621960s300021970s132201980s92101990s61232000s41272010s35412020s1549
#873
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 94% of names given to boys today.

1950s
Peak decade

19% of everyone ever named Stanley was born in this single decade.

1954
Single peak year

6,448 babies were named Stanley in 1954 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Stanley

The Social Security Administration has registered 301,142 babies named Stanley between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Stanley currently holds the #873 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1954, when 6,448 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Stanley performed strongest in the 1950s, accumulating 57,162 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Stanley shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 35,562 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Pennsylvania and Illinois. In total, SSA state-level files list Stanley in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Stanley 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 301,142 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.

Stanley at a glance

Top 1,000 boys' name

Total births

301,142

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1954

6,448 births that year

Strongest decade: 1950s

Current rank

#873

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Stanley popularity over time — boys

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

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (1954)
6,448
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-2,00002,0004,0006,0008,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 65

Stanley popularity over time — girls

1,437 total births recorded since 1900 (Stanley as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 1,437 births
01020304050 199019791968195719461935192419131900 7

Stanley by decade

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

Peak: 1950s
Peak decade
1950s
57,162 births that decade — 19% of Stanley's all-time total
1880s9971890s22971900s41561910s359081920s494561930s371311940s462631950s571621960s300021970s132201980s92101990s61232000s41272010s35412020s1549

Stanley by state

Where Stanley concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Stanley
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
35,562 11.8%
#2 Pennsylvania
27,196 9.0%
#3 Illinois
18,575 6.2%
#4 California
17,743 5.9%
#5 Michigan
13,531 4.5%
#6 Ohio
13,205 4.4%
#7 New Jersey
11,480 3.8%
#8 Massachusetts
10,368 3.4%
New York share of Stanley's total US births 11.8%
Even split

35,562 of 301,142 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Stanley appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Stanley?
301,142 babies have been named Stanley since 1880. It currently ranks #873 among boys. The peak year was 1954 with 6,448 births.
When was Stanley most popular?
Stanley was most popular in the 1950s decade with 57,162 total births. The single peak year was 1954.
Where is Stanley most popular?
The top states for the name Stanley are New York (35,562 births), Pennsylvania (27,196 births), Illinois (18,575 births).
How long has the name Stanley been used?
Stanley has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Stanley?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Stacy, Stacey, Stan, Stanford, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Stanley

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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.