Girls' name · since 1880
Susan
1,123,481 babies named Susan in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1955. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #8 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,085 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,123,481
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
1,123,481 babies have been named Susan since 1880, making it today's #1085 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Susan recorded 1,123,481 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #1085 nationally today, ahead of 94% of girls, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #8 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #1,085 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 1,123,481 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Susan ranks #8 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,085 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 1,123,481 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #8 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,085 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,123,481
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Susan's 1,123,481 recorded births place it above 99.98% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Susan compares
1,123,481 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,297 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
Susan's all-time total is 2,988x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Susan | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,123,481 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 47,418 | 21 | 19,840 |
Susan's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Susan's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 66% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 34%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 2022, with only 212 births recorded -- set against the 1955 peak of 47,418, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Susan popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1955)
- 47,418
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Susan popularity over time - boys
2,541 total births recorded since 1897 (Susan as boys' name)
Susan by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (437,774 births, 39% of the file).
1950s was Susan's strongest decade.
437,774 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 39% of all-time use.
Susan births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 3,231
1880s
3,231 births
- 1890s 3,612
1890s
3,612 births
- 1900s 3,447
1900s
3,447 births
- 1910s 6,814
1910s
6,814 births
- 1920s 8,408
1920s
8,408 births
- 1930s 21,028
1930s
21,028 births
- 1940s
1940s
212,016 births
- 1950s
1950s
437,774 births
- 1960s
1960s
287,666 births
- 1970s 88,308
1970s
88,308 births
- 1980s 30,549
1980s
30,549 births
- 1990s 10,893
1990s
10,893 births
- 2000s 5,323
2000s
5,323 births
- 2010s 3,051
2010s
3,051 births
- 2020s 1,361
2020s
1,361 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 437,774 births (39% of all-time use).
How Susan 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 Susan's total volume
Susan by state
Where Susan concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 122,541 | 10.9% |
| #2 | California | | 91,696 | 8.2% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 82,276 | 7.3% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 70,375 | 6.3% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 63,009 | 5.6% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 57,312 | 5.1% |
| #7 | Massachusetts | | 49,012 | 4.4% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 43,070 | 3.8% |
122,541 of 1,123,481 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Susan appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Susan? ▼
Where does Susan sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Susan most popular? ▼
Where is Susan most popular? ▼
How long has the name Susan been used? ▼
What names are similar to Susan? ▼
What to do with Susan's data
- Susan's decade-level peak was the 1950s (437,774 total births); usage has since declined to 1,361 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Susans (122,541 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Susan
Nearby Names Like Susan
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Susan
Compare Susan side by side: Susan vs Susie Susan vs Susanne Susan vs Susana
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Susan
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Susan: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1955)
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 Susan 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.