Total births
194
Boys' name · since 1985
Tel
194 babies named Tel in U.S. Social Security records since 1985, with the highest year being 1985. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #9268
- among boys today
- 194
- born since 1985
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 35%
- more common than other boys
Tel currently ranks #9268 among boys' names in America, with 194 babies recorded since 1985.
Tel has 194 recorded births among boys since 1985, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #9268 as of the latest data, more common than 35% of boys, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1985 to 2024.
- #9268 among boys today
- 194 born since 1985
- 1990s peak decade
- 35% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Tel is currently the #9268 boys' name in America, more common than 35% of boys - 194 born since 1985, peaking in the 1990s.
- #9268
- among boys today
- 194
- born since 1985
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 35%
- more common than other boys
Tel vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#9268
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 35% of names given to boys today.
1990s
Peak decade
33% of everyone ever named Tel was born in this single decade.
1985
Single peak year
11 babies were named Tel in 1985 - its busiest year on record.
How Tel compares
194 38th percentile among 14,294 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
Tel's all-time total is 47% below the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Tel | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 194 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 11 | 23 | 22,252 |
Tel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Tel's full recorded timeline at 2000, 45% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 55% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 2001, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1985 peak of 11 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Tel at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1985
Current rank
#9,268
Active since
1985
Tel popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1985–2024
- Peak year (1985)
- 11
- Annual births at peak, across 40 years of records
Tel by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Tel's strongest decade.
64 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 33% of all-time use.
Tel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1980s
1980s
43 births
- 1990s
1990s
64 births
- 2000s
2000s
38 births
- 2010s 22
2010s
22 births
- 2020s
2020s
27 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 64 births (33% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Tel? ▼
Since 1985, Social Security records show 194 babies named Tel. Today it holds rank #9268 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1985, with 11 births.
When was Tel most popular? ▼
Tel was most popular in the 1990s decade with 64 total births. The single peak year was 1985.
How long has the name Tel been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Tel since 1985 -- 40 years through the most recent 2024 data.
What names are similar to Tel? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Telly, Telvin, Telford, Tellis, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Tel's data
- Tel's usage has stayed within range of its 1990s decade-level peak (64 total births) through the 2020s (27) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- 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 Tel
Nearby Names Like Tel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Tel
Telly Boy
#12633 1,527 births
Telvin Boy
#11250 588 births
Telford Boy
348 births
Tellis Boy
295 births
Teller Boy
#3520 270 births
Compare Tel side by side: Tel vs Telly Tel vs Telvin Tel vs Telford
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Tel
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, 1985–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Tel: #9268 Boys' Name - 194 Births, Peak 1985." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/tel. 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 Tel 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.