Boys' name · since 1966
Sultan
Sultan has 2,396 recorded births since 1966 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2025 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #2,951 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,241 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 2,396
- born since 1966
- 2020s
- peak decade
Yes -- Sultan is the #1241 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 2,396 recorded since 1966.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sultan has been recorded 2,396 times among boys since 1966, currently ranked #1241 nationally and more common than 91% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2020s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1966 to 2025.
- #2,951 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,241 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 2,396 born since 1966
- 2020s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sultan ranks #2,951 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,241 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 2,396 born since 1966, peaking in the 2020s.
- #2,951 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,241 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 2,396
- born since 1966
- 2020s
- peak decade
Sultan's 2,396 recorded births place it above 93.51% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
15 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Sultan compares
2,396 Top 20% higher than 80% 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
Sultan's all-time total is 6x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sultan | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 2,396 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 161 | 34 | 22,252 |
Sultan's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Sultan's SSA record in two at 1998 and the more recent half accounts for 79% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 21%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1972, with only 6 births recorded -- set against the 2025 peak of 161, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Sultan popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1966–2025
- Peak year (2025)
- 161
- Annual births at peak, across 60 years of records
Sultan by decade
2020s is the heaviest window (816 births, 34% of the file).
2020s was Sultan's strongest decade.
816 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 34% of all-time use.
Sultan births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1960s 9
1960s
9 births
- 1970s 158
1970s
158 births
- 1980s 166
1980s
166 births
- 1990s 238
1990s
238 births
- 2000s 293
2000s
293 births
- 2010s
2010s
716 births
- 2020s
2020s
816 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 816 births (34% of all-time use).
How Sultan 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 Sultan's total volume
Sultan by state
Where Sultan concentrates geographically, total births since 1966
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 239 | 10.0% |
| #2 | New York | | 214 | 8.9% |
| #3 | Texas | | 172 | 7.2% |
| #4 | Virginia | | 114 | 4.8% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 71 | 3.0% |
| #6 | Florida | | 70 | 2.9% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 68 | 2.8% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 55 | 2.3% |
239 of 2,396 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 15 reporting states.
Sultan appears in 15 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Sultan? ▼
Where does Sultan sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Sultan most popular? ▼
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What to do with Sultan's data
- California records the most Sultans (239 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Sultan
Nearby Names Like Sultan
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sultan
Compare Sultan side by side: Sultan vs Sullivan Sultan vs Sulaiman Sultan vs Suleiman
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sultan
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Sultan: 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 (~59 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, 1966–2025 (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 Sultan 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.