Total births
5,734
Girls' name · since 1905
Sunshine
5,734 babies named Sunshine in U.S. Social Security records since 1905, with the highest year being 1975. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #2640
- among girls today
- 5,734
- born since 1905
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 85%
- more common than other girls
Sunshine currently ranks #2640 among girls' names in America, with 5,734 babies recorded since 1905.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sunshine has been recorded 5,734 times among girls since 1905, currently ranked #2640 nationally and more common than 85% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1970s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1905 to 2025.
- #2640 among girls today
- 5,734 born since 1905
- 1970s peak decade
- 85% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Sunshine is currently the #2640 girls' name in America, more common than 85% of girls - 5,734 born since 1905, peaking in the 1970s.
- #2640
- among girls today
- 5,734
- born since 1905
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 85%
- more common than other girls
Sunshine vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#2640
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 85% of names given to girls today.
1970s
Peak decade
33% of everyone ever named Sunshine was born in this single decade.
1975
Single peak year
324 babies were named Sunshine in 1975 - its busiest year on record.
How Sunshine compares
5,734 Top 12% higher than 88% 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
Sunshine's all-time total is 15x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sunshine | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 5,734 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 324 | 48 | 19,840 |
Sunshine's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Sunshine's SSA record in two at 1982 and the more recent half accounts for 54% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 46%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1905, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1975 peak of 324, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Sunshine at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1975
Current rank
#2,640
Active since
1905
Sunshine popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1905–2025
- Peak year (1975)
- 324
- Annual births at peak, across 121 years of records
Sunshine popularity over time - boys
45 total births recorded since 1971 (Sunshine as boys' name)
Sunshine by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1970s was Sunshine's strongest decade.
1,911 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 33% of all-time use.
Sunshine births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 14
1900s
14 births
- 1910s 78
1910s
78 births
- 1920s 120
1920s
120 births
- 1930s 20
1930s
20 births
- 1950s 37
1950s
37 births
- 1960s 22
1960s
22 births
- 1970s
1970s
1,911 births
- 1980s
1980s
1,110 births
- 1990s 552
1990s
552 births
- 2000s
2000s
835 births
- 2010s 619
2010s
619 births
- 2020s 416
2020s
416 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 1,911 births (33% of all-time use).
How Sunshine 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 Sunshine's total volume
Sunshine vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Sunshine by state
Where Sunshine concentrates geographically, total births since 1905
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,000 | 17.4% |
| #2 | Texas | | 384 | 6.7% |
| #3 | Florida | | 180 | 3.1% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 148 | 2.6% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 123 | 2.1% |
| #6 | Indiana | | 105 | 1.8% |
| #7 | New York | | 105 | 1.8% |
| #8 | Arizona | | 82 | 1.4% |
California share of Sunshine's total US births 17.4%
Even split
1,000 of 5,734 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 34 reporting states.
Sunshine appears in 34 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Sunshine? ▼
Since 1905, Social Security records show 5,734 babies named Sunshine. Today it holds rank #2640 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1975, with 324 births.
When was Sunshine most popular? ▼
Sunshine was most popular in the 1970s decade with 1,911 total births. The single peak year was 1975.
Where is Sunshine most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Sunshine are California (1,000 births), Texas (384 births), Florida (180 births).
How long has the name Sunshine been used? ▼
Sunshine has been recorded in Social Security data since 1905, spanning 121 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Sunshine? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Sunny, Sunday, Sunnie, Sunni, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Sunshine's data
- Sunshine's decade-level peak was the 1970s (1,911 total births); usage has since declined to 416 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Sunshines (1,000 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California 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 Sunshine
Nearby Names Like Sunshine
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sunshine
Sunny Girl
#370 13,191 births
Sunday Girl
#1059 3,197 births
Sunnie Girl
#1106 2,692 births
Sunni Girl
#1666 2,566 births
Sundra Girl
649 births
Compare Sunshine side by side: Sunshine vs Sunny Sunshine vs Sunday Sunshine vs Sunnie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sunshine
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, 1905–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Sunshine: #2640 Girls' Name - 5,734 Births, Peak 1975." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/sunshine. 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 Sunshine 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.