Total births
144,536
Girls' name · since 1880
Sue
Sue has 144,536 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1947 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #7967
- among girls today
- 144,536
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 55%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Sue is the #7967 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 144,536 recorded since 1880.
Sue has 144,536 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #7967 as of the latest data, more common than 55% of girls, busiest in the 1940s -- 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.
- #7967 among girls today
- 144,536 born since 1880
- 1940s peak decade
- 55% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Sue is currently the #7967 girls' name in America, more common than 55% of girls - 144,536 born since 1880, peaking in the 1940s.
- #7967
- among girls today
- 144,536
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 55%
- more common than other girls
Sue vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#7967
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 55% of names given to girls today.
1940s
Peak decade
28% of everyone ever named Sue was born in this single decade.
1947
Single peak year
5,306 babies were named Sue in 1947 - its busiest year on record.
How Sue compares
144,536 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Sue's all-time total is 378x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sue | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 144,536 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 5,306 | 48 | 19,840 |
Sue's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Sue's SSA record in two at 1952 and the more recent half accounts for 42% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 58%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 2021, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1947 peak of 5,306, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Sue at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1947
Current rank
#7,967
Active since
1880
Sue popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1947)
- 5,306
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Sue popularity over time - boys
519 total births recorded since 1917 (Sue as boys' name)
Sue by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1940s was Sue's strongest decade.
40,943 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 28% of all-time use.
Sue births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 918
1880s
918 births
- 1890s 1,326
1890s
1,326 births
- 1900s 1,774
1900s
1,774 births
- 1910s 6,091
1910s
6,091 births
- 1920s 7,073
1920s
7,073 births
- 1930s
1930s
19,507 births
- 1940s
1940s
40,943 births
- 1950s
1950s
38,852 births
- 1960s
1960s
21,601 births
- 1970s 3,823
1970s
3,823 births
- 1980s 1,678
1980s
1,678 births
- 1990s 522
1990s
522 births
- 2000s 238
2000s
238 births
- 2010s 147
2010s
147 births
- 2020s 43
2020s
43 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 40,943 births (28% of all-time use).
How Sue compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Sue's total volume
Sue vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Sue by state
Where Sue concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Ohio | | 11,758 | 8.1% |
| #2 | Michigan | | 9,453 | 6.5% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 8,753 | 6.1% |
| #4 | California | | 8,142 | 5.6% |
| #5 | Texas | | 7,814 | 5.4% |
| #6 | New York | | 7,607 | 5.3% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 7,398 | 5.1% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 6,758 | 4.7% |
Ohio share of Sue's total US births 8.1%
Even split
11,758 of 144,536 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Sue appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Sue? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 144,536 babies named Sue. Today it holds rank #7967 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1947, with 5,306 births.
When was Sue most popular? ▼
Sue was most popular in the 1940s decade with 40,943 total births. The single peak year was 1947.
Where is Sue most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Sue are Ohio (11,758 births), Michigan (9,453 births), Illinois (8,753 births).
How long has the name Sue been used? ▼
Records for Sue go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Sue? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Suellen, Sueann, Sueanne, Sueellen, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Sue's data
- Sue's decade-level peak was the 1940s (40,943 total births); usage has since declined to 43 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Ohio records the most Sues (11,758 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Ohio 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 Sue
Nearby Names Like Sue
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sue
Suellen Girl
3,342 births
Sueann Girl
2,152 births
Sueanne Girl
467 births
Sueellen Girl
462 births
Suella Girl
405 births
Compare Sue side by side: Sue vs Suellen Sue vs Sueann Sue vs Sueanne
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sue
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. "Sue: #7967 Girls' Name - 144,536 Births, Peak 1947." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/sue. 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 Sue 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.