Unisex name · since 1880
Sterling
Sterling has 37,474 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2025 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #592 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #346 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 37,474
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
37,474 babies have been named Sterling since 1880, making it today's #346 unisex name.
Sterling has 37,474 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #346 as of the latest data, more common than 98% of boys, busiest in the 2010s -- 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.
- #592 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #346 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 37,474 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sterling ranks #592 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #346 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 37,474 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #592 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #346 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 37,474
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Sterling's 37,474 recorded births place it above 98.69% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
49 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Sterling compares
37,474 Top 5% higher than 95% 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
Sterling's all-time total is 102x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sterling | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 37,474 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 944 | 34 | 22,252 |
Sterling's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Sterling's full recorded timeline at 1953, 74% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 26% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1881, with just 8 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2025 peak of 944 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Sterling popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2025)
- 944
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Sterling popularity over time - girls
3,723 total births recorded since 1913 (Sterling as girls' name)
Sterling by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (5,464 births, 15% of the file).
2010s was Sterling's strongest decade.
5,464 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 15% of all-time use.
Sterling births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 168
1880s
168 births
- 1890s 233
1890s
233 births
- 1900s 352
1900s
352 births
- 1910s 1,608
1910s
1,608 births
- 1920s
1920s
2,533 births
- 1930s 1,904
1930s
1,904 births
- 1940s
1940s
2,334 births
- 1950s
1950s
2,570 births
- 1960s
1960s
2,496 births
- 1970s 2,072
1970s
2,072 births
- 1980s
1980s
2,968 births
- 1990s
1990s
4,709 births
- 2000s
2000s
3,027 births
- 2010s
2010s
5,464 births
- 2020s
2020s
5,036 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 5,464 births (15% of all-time use).
How Sterling 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 Sterling's total volume
Sterling by state
Where Sterling concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 3,701 | 9.9% |
| #2 | California | | 2,661 | 7.1% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 1,631 | 4.4% |
| #4 | Virginia | | 1,505 | 4.0% |
| #5 | North Carolina | | 1,360 | 3.6% |
| #6 | Louisiana | | 1,298 | 3.5% |
| #7 | Florida | | 1,220 | 3.3% |
| #8 | New York | | 1,169 | 3.1% |
3,701 of 37,474 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 49 reporting states.
Sterling appears in 49 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Sterling? ▼
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What to do with Sterling's data
- Sterling's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (5,464 total births) through the 2020s (5,036) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Texas records the most Sterlings (3,701 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Sterling
Nearby Names Like Sterling
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sterling
Compare Sterling side by side: Sterling vs Steven Sterling vs Stephen Sterling vs Steve
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sterling
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Sterling: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2025)
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 Sterling 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.