Unisex name · since 1880
Starling
Starling has 1,001 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1920 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #5,140 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #6,454 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,001
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Starling currently ranks #6454 among unisex names in America, with 1,001 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Starling has been recorded 1,001 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #6454 nationally and more common than 54% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. 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.
- #5,140 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #6,454 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 1,001 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Starling ranks #5,140 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #6,454 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,001 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #5,140 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #6,454 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,001
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Starling's 1,001 recorded births place it above 88.69% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 4 jurisdictions, led by Georgia.
How Starling compares
1,001 Top 32% higher than 68% of 13,930 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
Starling's all-time total is 171% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Starling | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,001 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 26 | 34 | 22,252 |
Starling's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Starling splits its recorded history at 1951: 39% of all births land in the more recent half, 61% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1880 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1920 peak of 26 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Starling popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1920)
- 26
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Starling popularity over time - girls
225 total births recorded since 1930 (Starling as girls' name)
Starling by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (155 births, 15% of the file).
1920s was Starling's strongest decade.
155 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 15% of all-time use.
Starling births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 29
1880s
29 births
- 1890s 12
1890s
12 births
- 1900s 25
1900s
25 births
- 1910s
1910s
123 births
- 1920s
1920s
155 births
- 1930s
1930s
125 births
- 1940s
1940s
125 births
- 1950s
1950s
98 births
- 1960s 52
1960s
52 births
- 1970s 57
1970s
57 births
- 1980s 31
1980s
31 births
- 1990s 41
1990s
41 births
- 2000s 37
2000s
37 births
- 2010s 45
2010s
45 births
- 2020s 46
2020s
46 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 155 births (15% of all-time use).
How Starling 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 Starling's total volume
Starling by state
Where Starling concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Georgia | | 10 | 1.0% |
| #2 | New York | | 6 | 0.6% |
| #3 | Kentucky | | 5 | 0.5% |
| #4 | North Carolina | | 5 | 0.5% |
10 of 1,001 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 4 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Starling's data
- Starling's decade-level peak was the 1920s (155 total births); usage has since declined to 46 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Georgia records the most Starlings (10 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Georgia names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Starling
Nearby Names Like Starling
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Starling
Compare Starling side by side: Starling vs Stanley Starling vs Stacy Starling vs Stacey
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Starling
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Starling: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1920)
Similar record span (~145 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, 1880–2025 (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 Starling 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.