Boys' name · since 1880
Thornton
3,132 babies named Thornton in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1921. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #2,462 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #7,683 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 3,132
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Thornton currently ranks #7683 among boys' names in America, with 3,132 babies recorded since 1880.
Thornton has 3,132 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #7683 as of the latest data, more common than 45% of boys, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #2,462 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #7,683 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 3,132 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Thornton ranks #2,462 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,683 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 3,132 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #2,462 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #7,683 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 3,132
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Thornton's 3,132 recorded births place it above 94.58% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
16 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Virginia.
How Thornton compares
3,132 Top 17% higher than 83% 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
Thornton's all-time total is 8x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Thornton | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 3,132 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 75 | 34 | 22,252 |
Thornton's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Thornton's SSA record in two at 1951 and the more recent half accounts for 34% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 66%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1885, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1921 peak of 75, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Thornton popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 75
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Thornton by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (551 births, 18% of the file).
1920s was Thornton's strongest decade.
551 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 18% of all-time use.
Thornton births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 127
1880s
127 births
- 1890s 92
1890s
92 births
- 1900s 105
1900s
105 births
- 1910s
1910s
438 births
- 1920s
1920s
551 births
- 1930s
1930s
352 births
- 1940s
1940s
370 births
- 1950s
1950s
309 births
- 1960s 207
1960s
207 births
- 1970s 136
1970s
136 births
- 1980s 101
1980s
101 births
- 1990s 133
1990s
133 births
- 2000s 87
2000s
87 births
- 2010s 89
2010s
89 births
- 2020s 35
2020s
35 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 551 births (18% of all-time use).
How Thornton 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 Thornton's total volume
Thornton by state
Where Thornton concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Virginia | | 124 | 4.0% |
| #2 | Texas | | 45 | 1.4% |
| #3 | New York | | 27 | 0.9% |
| #4 | Alabama | | 25 | 0.8% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 20 | 0.6% |
| #6 | Kentucky | | 20 | 0.6% |
| #7 | Maryland | | 16 | 0.5% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 11 | 0.4% |
124 of 3,132 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 16 reporting states.
Thornton appears in 16 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Thornton's data
- Thornton's decade-level peak was the 1920s (551 total births); usage has since declined to 35 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Virginia records the most Thorntons (124 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Virginia names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Thornton
Nearby Names Like Thornton
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Thornton
Compare Thornton side by side: Thornton vs Thomas Thornton vs Thor Thornton vs Thompson
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Thornton
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Thornton: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1921)
Similar record span (~145 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, 1880–2025 (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 Thornton 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.