Total births
1,404
Girls' name · since 1880
Sula
1,404 babies named Sula in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1921. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #8952
- among girls today
- 1,404
- born since 1880
- 1910s
- peak decade
- 49%
- more common than other girls
1,404 babies have been named Sula since 1880, making it today's #8952 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sula has been recorded 1,404 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #8952 nationally and more common than 49% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1910s. 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.
- #8952 among girls today
- 1,404 born since 1880
- 1910s peak decade
- 49% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Sula is currently the #8952 girls' name in America, more common than 49% of girls - 1,404 born since 1880, peaking in the 1910s.
- #8952
- among girls today
- 1,404
- born since 1880
- 1910s
- peak decade
- 49%
- more common than other girls
Sula vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#8952
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 49% of names given to girls today.
1910s
Peak decade
18% of everyone ever named Sula was born in this single decade.
1921
Single peak year
34 babies were named Sula in 1921 - its busiest year on record.
How Sula compares
1,404 Top 27% higher than 73% 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
Sula's all-time total is 4x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sula | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,404 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 34 | 48 | 19,840 |
Sula's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Sula splits its recorded history at 1928: 37% of all births land in the more recent half, 63% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1960 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1921 peak of 34 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Sula at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1921
Current rank
#8,952
Active since
1880
Sula popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 34
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Sula by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1910s was Sula's strongest decade.
251 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 18% of all-time use.
Sula births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s
1880s
108 births
- 1890s
1890s
160 births
- 1900s
1900s
175 births
- 1910s
1910s
251 births
- 1920s
1920s
223 births
- 1930s
1930s
151 births
- 1940s
1940s
136 births
- 1950s 39
1950s
39 births
- 1960s 22
1960s
22 births
- 2000s 19
2000s
19 births
- 2010s 67
2010s
67 births
- 2020s 53
2020s
53 births
What this shows Peak: 1910s at 251 births (18% of all-time use).
How Sula 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 Sula's total volume
Sula vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Sula by state
Where Sula concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 30 | 2.1% |
| #2 | North Carolina | | 20 | 1.4% |
| #3 | South Carolina | | 16 | 1.1% |
| #4 | Alabama | | 10 | 0.7% |
| #5 | Arkansas | | 7 | 0.5% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 6 | 0.4% |
| #7 | Kentucky | | 5 | 0.4% |
| #8 | Mississippi | | 5 | 0.4% |
Texas share of Sula's total US births 2.1%
Even split
30 of 1,404 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 9 reporting states.
Sula appears in 9 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Sula? ▼
Sula has been given to 1,404 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #8952 as of the latest data. 34 babies were born in 1921, its single highest year.
When was Sula most popular? ▼
Sula was most popular in the 1910s decade with 251 total births. The single peak year was 1921.
Where is Sula most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Sula are Texas (30 births), North Carolina (20 births), South Carolina (16 births).
How long has the name Sula been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Sula since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Sula? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Sulema, Sullivan, Sulma, Suleyma, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Sula's data
- Sula's decade-level peak was the 1910s (251 total births); usage has since declined to 53 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Sulas (30 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas 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 Sula
Nearby Names Like Sula
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sula
Sulema Girl
2,008 births
Sullivan Girl
#1949 1,442 births
Sulma Girl
414 births
Suleyma Girl
375 births
Sully Girl
#15820 370 births
Compare Sula side by side: Sula vs Sulema Sula vs Sullivan Sula vs Sulma
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sula
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. "Sula: #8952 Girls' Name - 1,404 Births, Peak 1921." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/sula. 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 Sula 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.