Total births
2,120
Boys' name · since 1890
Tex
2,120 babies named Tex in U.S. Social Security records since 1890, with the highest year being 1940. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #4896
- among boys today
- 2,120
- born since 1890
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 66%
- more common than other boys
Tex currently ranks #4896 among boys' names in America, with 2,120 babies recorded since 1890.
Tex has 2,120 recorded births among boys since 1890, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #4896 as of the latest data, more common than 66% of boys, busiest in the 1940s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1890 to 2025.
- #4896 among boys today
- 2,120 born since 1890
- 1940s peak decade
- 66% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Tex is currently the #4896 boys' name in America, more common than 66% of boys - 2,120 born since 1890, peaking in the 1940s.
- #4896
- among boys today
- 2,120
- born since 1890
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 66%
- more common than other boys
Tex vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#4896
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 66% of names given to boys today.
1940s
Peak decade
24% of everyone ever named Tex was born in this single decade.
1940
Single peak year
67 babies were named Tex in 1940 - its busiest year on record.
How Tex compares
2,120 Top 20% higher than 80% of 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
Tex's all-time total is 6x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Tex | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 2,120 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 67 | 23 | 22,252 |
Tex's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Tex splits its recorded history at 1965: 28% of all births land in the more recent half, 72% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1890 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1940 peak of 67 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Tex at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1940
Current rank
#4,896
Active since
1890
Tex popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1890–2025
- Peak year (1940)
- 67
- Annual births at peak, across 136 years of records
Tex popularity over time - girls
11 total births recorded since 1918 (Tex as girls' name)
Tex by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1940s was Tex's strongest decade.
519 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Tex births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 11
1890s
11 births
- 1900s 7
1900s
7 births
- 1910s 85
1910s
85 births
- 1920s
1920s
222 births
- 1930s
1930s
307 births
- 1940s
1940s
519 births
- 1950s
1950s
296 births
- 1960s 141
1960s
141 births
- 1970s 90
1970s
90 births
- 1980s 72
1980s
72 births
- 1990s 36
1990s
36 births
- 2000s 68
2000s
68 births
- 2010s 110
2010s
110 births
- 2020s 156
2020s
156 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 519 births (24% of all-time use).
How Tex 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 Tex's total volume
Tex vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Tex by state
Where Tex concentrates geographically, total births since 1890
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 354 | 16.7% |
| #2 | North Carolina | | 44 | 2.1% |
| #3 | West Virginia | | 39 | 1.8% |
| #4 | Kentucky | | 19 | 0.9% |
| #5 | Oklahoma | | 16 | 0.8% |
| #6 | Virginia | | 16 | 0.8% |
| #7 | Georgia | | 6 | 0.3% |
| #8 | Alabama | | 5 | 0.2% |
Texas share of Tex's total US births 16.7%
Even split
354 of 2,120 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 9 reporting states.
Tex appears in 9 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Tex? ▼
Tex has been given to 2,120 babies in the U.S. since 1890, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #4896 as of the latest data. 67 babies were born in 1940, its single highest year.
When was Tex most popular? ▼
Tex was most popular in the 1940s decade with 519 total births. The single peak year was 1940.
Where is Tex most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Tex are Texas (354 births), North Carolina (44 births), West Virginia (39 births).
How long has the name Tex been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Tex since 1890 -- 136 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Tex? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Texas. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Tex's data
- Tex's decade-level peak was the 1940s (519 total births); usage has since declined to 156 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Texs (354 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas 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 Tex
Nearby Names Like Tex
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Tex
Compare Tex side by side: Tex vs Texas
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Tex
Nils #4895
3,083 births · Peak 1970
Sonnie #4897
879 births · Peak 2023
Joy #4894
2,630 births · Peak 1922
Pasquale #4898
10,138 births · Peak 1917
Sammie #4893
20,836 births · Peak 1947
Hughes #4899
919 births · Peak 1916
Herschel #4892
10,674 births · Peak 1921
Artis #4900
5,377 births · Peak 1951
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, 1890–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Tex: #4896 Boys' Name - 2,120 Births, Peak 1940." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/tex. 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 Tex 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.