US rank #1129 Girls' name Peak 1955 1,123,232 births

Susan — #1129 US girls' name

1,123,232 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.

1880s32311890s36121900s34471910s68141920s84081930s210281940s2120141950s4377731960s2876611970s883101980s305471990s108932000s53122010s30472020s1135
#1129
of 17,661 girls in use

More common than 94% of names given to girls today.

1950s
Peak decade

39% of everyone ever named Susan was born in this single decade.

1955
Single peak year

47,419 babies were named Susan in 1955 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Susan

The Social Security Administration has registered 1,123,232 babies named Susan between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Susan currently holds the #1129 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1955, when 47,419 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Susan performed strongest in the 1950s, accumulating 437,773 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Susan shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 122,522 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by California and Pennsylvania. In total, SSA state-level files list Susan in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Susan in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 1,123,232 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Susan at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

1,123,232

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1955

47,419 births that year

Strongest decade: 1950s

Current rank

#1,129

Among girls

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Susan popularity over time — girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1955)
47,419
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-20,000020,00040,00060,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 286

Susan popularity over time — boys

2,542 total births recorded since 1897 (Susan as boys' name)

Unisex variant — 2,542 births
050100150 201719861977196819591950194119321897 5

Susan by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1950s
Peak decade
1950s
437,773 births that decade — 39% of Susan's all-time total
1880s32311890s36121900s34471910s68141920s84081930s210281940s2120141950s4377731960s2876611970s883101980s305471990s108932000s53122010s30472020s1135

Susan by state

Where Susan concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Susan
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
122,522 10.9%
#2 California
91,679 8.2%
#3 Pennsylvania
82,249 7.3%
#4 Illinois
70,368 6.3%
#5 Ohio
62,985 5.6%
#6 Michigan
57,298 5.1%
#7 Massachusetts
49,006 4.4%
#8 New Jersey
43,065 3.8%
New York share of Susan's total US births 10.9%
Even split

122,522 of 1,123,232 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?
1,123,232 babies have been named Susan since 1880. It currently ranks #1129 among girls. The peak year was 1955 with 47,419 births.
When was Susan most popular?
Susan was most popular in the 1950s decade with 437,773 total births. The single peak year was 1955.
Where is Susan most popular?
The top states for the name Susan are New York (122,522 births), California (91,679 births), Pennsylvania (82,249 births).
How long has the name Susan been used?
Susan has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Susan?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Susie, Susanne, Susana, Susanna, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

Keep exploring Susan

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.