Total births
301,425
Boys' name · since 1880
Stanley
301,425 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.
- #869
- among boys today
- 301,425
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Stanley is the #869 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 301,425 recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Stanley has been recorded 301,425 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #869 nationally and more common than 94% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1950s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #869 among boys today
- 301,425 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 94% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Stanley is currently the #869 boys' name in America, more common than 94% of boys - 301,425 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #869
- among boys today
- 301,425
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other boys
Stanley vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#869
of 14,294 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.
How Stanley compares
301,425 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Stanley's all-time total is 821x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Stanley | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 301,425 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 6,448 | 23 | 22,252 |
Stanley's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Stanley splits its recorded history at 1953: 36% of all births land in the more recent half, 64% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1880 (65 births) -- compare that against the 1954 peak of 6,448 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Stanley at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1954
Current rank
#869
Active since
1880
Stanley popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1954)
- 6,448
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Stanley popularity over time - girls
1,437 total births recorded since 1900 (Stanley as girls' name)
Stanley by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Stanley's strongest decade.
57,164 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 19% of all-time use.
Stanley births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 997
1880s
997 births
- 1890s 2,297
1890s
2,297 births
- 1900s 4,156
1900s
4,156 births
- 1910s
1910s
35,908 births
- 1920s
1920s
49,456 births
- 1930s
1930s
37,130 births
- 1940s
1940s
46,263 births
- 1950s
1950s
57,164 births
- 1960s
1960s
30,005 births
- 1970s 13,214
1970s
13,214 births
- 1980s 9,211
1980s
9,211 births
- 1990s 6,124
1990s
6,124 births
- 2000s 4,127
2000s
4,127 births
- 2010s 3,541
2010s
3,541 births
- 2020s 1,832
2020s
1,832 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 57,164 births (19% of all-time use).
How Stanley 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 Stanley's total volume
Stanley vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Stanley by state
Where Stanley concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 35,583 | 11.8% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 27,207 | 9.0% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 18,584 | 6.2% |
| #4 | California | | 17,770 | 5.9% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 13,548 | 4.5% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 13,216 | 4.4% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 11,488 | 3.8% |
| #8 | Massachusetts | | 10,374 | 3.4% |
New York share of Stanley's total US births 11.8%
Even split
35,583 of 301,425 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? ▼
301,425 babies have been named Stanley since 1880. It currently ranks #869 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 57,164 total births. The single peak year was 1954.
Where is Stanley most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Stanley are New York (35,583 births), Pennsylvania (27,207 births), Illinois (18,584 births).
How long has the name Stanley been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Stanley since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
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.
What to do with Stanley's data
- Stanley's decade-level peak was the 1950s (57,164 total births); usage has since declined to 1,832 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Stanleys (35,583 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York 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 Stanley
Nearby Names Like Stanley
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Stanley
Stacy Boy
#10954 22,257 births
Stacey Boy
#6227 13,982 births
Stan Boy
#8374 8,480 births
Stanford Boy
#7266 7,727 births
Stanton Boy
#4709 6,738 births
Compare Stanley side by side: Stanley vs Stacy Stanley vs Stacey Stanley vs Stan
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Stanley
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. "Stanley: #869 Boys' Name - 301,425 Births, Peak 1954." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/stanley. 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 Stanley 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.