Boys' name · since 1880
Tim
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 83,358 babies named Tim, peaking in 1960. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #354 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,182 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 83,358
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
Yes -- Tim is the #3182 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 83,358 recorded since 1880.
Tim has 83,358 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #3182 as of the latest data, more common than 77% of boys, busiest in the 1960s -- 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.
- #354 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #3,182 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 83,358 born since 1880
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Tim ranks #354 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,182 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 83,358 born since 1880, peaking in the 1960s.
- #354 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,182 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 83,358
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
Tim's 83,358 recorded births place it above 99.22% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Tim compares
83,358 Top 3% higher than 97% 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
Tim's all-time total is 226x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Tim | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 83,358 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 6,931 | 34 | 22,252 |
Tim's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Tim's full recorded timeline at 1953, 84% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 16% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1897, with just 7 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1960 peak of 6,931 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Tim popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1960)
- 6,931
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Tim popularity over time - girls
188 total births recorded since 1949 (Tim as girls' name)
Tim by decade
1960s is the heaviest window (41,572 births, 50% of the file).
1960s was Tim's strongest decade.
41,572 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 50% of all-time use.
Tim births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 139
1880s
139 births
- 1890s 132
1890s
132 births
- 1900s 191
1900s
191 births
- 1910s 453
1910s
453 births
- 1920s 607
1920s
607 births
- 1930s 1,377
1930s
1,377 births
- 1940s 8,002
1940s
8,002 births
- 1950s
1950s
22,202 births
- 1960s
1960s
41,572 births
- 1970s 5,305
1970s
5,305 births
- 1980s 1,131
1980s
1,131 births
- 1990s 660
1990s
660 births
- 2000s 777
2000s
777 births
- 2010s 576
2010s
576 births
- 2020s 234
2020s
234 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 41,572 births (50% of all-time use).
How Tim 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 Tim's total volume
Tim by state
Where Tim concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 9,650 | 11.6% |
| #2 | Ohio | | 6,601 | 7.9% |
| #3 | Michigan | | 5,006 | 6.0% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 4,823 | 5.8% |
| #5 | Texas | | 3,795 | 4.6% |
| #6 | Indiana | | 3,743 | 4.5% |
| #7 | Wisconsin | | 2,997 | 3.6% |
| #8 | Minnesota | | 2,887 | 3.5% |
9,650 of 83,358 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Tim appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Tim? ▼
Where does Tim sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Tim most popular? ▼
Where is Tim most popular? ▼
How long has the name Tim been used? ▼
What names are similar to Tim? ▼
What to do with Tim's data
- Tim's decade-level peak was the 1960s (41,572 total births); usage has since declined to 234 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Tims (9,650 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 Tim
Nearby Names Like Tim
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Tim
Compare Tim side by side: Tim vs Timothy Tim vs Timmy Tim vs Timmothy
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Tim
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Tim: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1960)
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 Tim 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.