Boys' name · since 1882

Thompson

2,725 babies named Thompson in U.S. Social Security records since 1882, with the highest year being 2018. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#2,706 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#2,335 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
2,725
born since 1882
2010s
peak decade

Yes -- Thompson is the #2335 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 2,725 recorded since 1882.

Social Security Administration records show Thompson recorded 2,725 times among boys since 1882, holding rank #2335 nationally today, ahead of 83% of boys, peaking in the 2010s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1882 to 2025.

  • #2,706 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #2,335 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 2,725 born since 1882
  • 2010s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Thompson ranks #2,706 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,335 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 2,725 born since 1882, peaking in the 2010s.

#2,706 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#2,335 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
2,725
born since 1882
2010s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%83.2%
Thompson vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Above the archive median
All-time archive position

Thompson's 2,725 recorded births place it above 94.05% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

12 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

12 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Thompson compares

2,725 Top 19% higher than 81% 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

Thompson's all-time total is 7x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Thompson Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 2,725 369 358,536
Peak-year births 76 34 22,252

Thompson's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Thompson's full recorded timeline at 1962, 62% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 38% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1882, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2018 peak of 76 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Thompson popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (2018)
76
Annual births at peak, across 144 years of records
020406080 188219141930194619621978199420102025 59

Thompson popularity over time - girls

23 total births recorded since 2017 (Thompson as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 23 births
456789 2017202220242025 5

Thompson by decade

2010s is the heaviest window (469 births, 17% of the file).

2010s was Thompson's strongest decade.

469 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.

Thompson births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2010s at 469 births (17% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Thompson 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 Thompson's total volume

Thompson vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8%10%12% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -63, 2.9%-54, 3.2%-53, 10%-114, 2%-63, 8.4%-57, 9.4%-41, 5.2%-131, 2.5%-100, 5.4%-51, 5.7%-146, 4.9%-146, 2.2%-44, 5.4%-56, 4.5%-52, 3.6%Thompson-144, 2.8%Thompson
Thompson vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Thompson by state

Where Thompson concentrates geographically, total births since 1882

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Thompson
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
67 2.5%
#2 Texas
41 1.5%
#3 Georgia
33 1.2%
#4 North Carolina
22 0.8%
#5 New York
15 0.6%
#6 Alabama
10 0.4%
#7 Ohio
10 0.4%
#8 South Carolina
10 0.4%
California share of Thompson's total US births 2.5%
Even split

67 of 2,725 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 12 reporting states.

Thompson appears in 12 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Thompson? ▼
2,725 babies have been named Thompson since 1882. All-time, it sits at #2,706 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #2,335 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 2018 with 76 births.
Where does Thompson sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Thompson ranks #2,706 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,335 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Thompson most popular? ▼
Thompson was most popular in the 2010s decade with 469 total births. The single peak year was 2018.
Where is Thompson most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Thompson are California (67 births), Texas (41 births), Georgia (33 births).
How long has the name Thompson been used? ▼
Records for Thompson go back to 1882, giving 144 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Thompson? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Thomas, Thor, Thornton, Thorin, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Thompson's data

  • Thompson's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (469 total births) through the 2020s (299) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • California records the most Thompsons (67 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Thompson

Nearby Names Like Thompson

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Thompson

Thomas Boy
#34 2,358,576 births
Thor Boy
#2840 4,857 births
Thornton Boy
#7683 3,132 births
Thorin Boy
#1376 2,301 births
Thom Boy
844 births

Compare Thompson side by side: Thompson vs Thomas Thompson vs Thor Thompson vs Thornton

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Thompson

Patricio #2334
4,619 births · Peak 2009
Merlin #2336
15,049 births · Peak 1927
Gregorio #2333
10,842 births · Peak 1993
Harlen #2337
3,405 births · Peak 1936
Price #2332
3,926 births · Peak 2006
Oak #2338
647 births · Peak 2023
Symir #2331
527 births · Peak 2025
Rip #2339
688 births · Peak 2021

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Thompson: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1882–2025 (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 Thompson 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.