Unisex name · since 1937
Tal
1,265 babies named Tal in U.S. Social Security records since 1937, with the highest year being 1963. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #4,413 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #7,267 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,265
- born since 1937
- 1990s
- peak decade
Yes -- Tal is the #7267 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 1,265 recorded since 1937.
Social Security Administration records show Tal recorded 1,265 times among boys since 1937, holding rank #7267 nationally today, ahead of 48% of boys, peaking in the 1990s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1937 to 2025.
- #4,413 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #7,267 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 1,265 born since 1937
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Tal ranks #4,413 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,267 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,265 born since 1937, peaking in the 1990s.
- #4,413 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #7,267 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,265
- born since 1937
- 1990s
- peak decade
Tal's 1,265 recorded births place it above 90.29% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
9 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Tal compares
1,265 Top 28% higher than 72% 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
Tal's all-time total is 3x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Tal | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,265 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 87 | 34 | 22,252 |
Tal's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Tal's SSA record in two at 1990 and the more recent half accounts for 51% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 49%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1937, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1963 peak of 87, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Tal popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1937–2025
- Peak year (1963)
- 87
- Annual births at peak, across 89 years of records
Tal popularity over time - girls
548 total births recorded since 1963 (Tal as girls' name)
Tal by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (257 births, 20% of the file).
1990s was Tal's strongest decade.
257 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Tal births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1930s 5
1930s
5 births
- 1940s 5
1940s
5 births
- 1950s 24
1950s
24 births
- 1960s
1960s
240 births
- 1970s
1970s
137 births
- 1980s
1980s
203 births
- 1990s
1990s
257 births
- 2000s
2000s
228 births
- 2010s
2010s
107 births
- 2020s 59
2020s
59 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 257 births (20% of all-time use).
How Tal 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 Tal's total volume
Tal by state
Where Tal concentrates geographically, total births since 1937
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 166 | 13.1% |
| #2 | California | | 132 | 10.4% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 13 | 1.0% |
| #4 | Texas | | 8 | 0.6% |
| #5 | Louisiana | | 6 | 0.5% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 5 | 0.4% |
| #7 | Mississippi | | 5 | 0.4% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 5 | 0.4% |
166 of 1,265 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 9 reporting states.
Tal appears in 9 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Tal's data
- Tal's decade-level peak was the 1990s (257 total births); usage has since declined to 59 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Tals (166 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 Tal
Nearby Names Like Tal
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Tal
Compare Tal side by side: Tal vs Talon Tal vs Talmadge Tal vs Talan
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Tal
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Tal: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1963)
Similar record span (~88 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, 1937–2025 (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 Tal 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.