Boys' name · since 1880

Tommy

Tommy has 178,733 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1947 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#731
among boys today
178,733
born since 1880
1940s
peak decade
95%
more common than other boys

178,733 babies have been named Tommy since 1880, making it today's #731 boys' name.

Tommy has 178,733 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #731 as of the latest data, more common than 95% 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 1880 to 2025.

  • #731 among boys today
  • 178,733 born since 1880
  • 1940s peak decade
  • 95% more common than other boys

Data updated Jun 2026

The verdict

Tommy is currently the #731 boys' name in America, more common than 95% of boys - 178,733 born since 1880, peaking in the 1940s.

#731
among boys today
178,733
born since 1880
1940s
peak decade
95%
more common than other boys

Tommy vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings

0%100%Median name50%94.8%
Tommy vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#731
of 14,294 boys in use

More common than 95% of names given to boys today.

1940s
Peak decade

21% of everyone ever named Tommy was born in this single decade.

1947
Single peak year

4,594 babies were named Tommy in 1947 - its busiest year on record.

How Tommy compares

178,733 Top 1% higher than 99% 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

Tommy's all-time total is 487x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Tommy Median boys name (Elchonon) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 178,733 367 358,536
Peak-year births 4,594 23 22,252

Tommy's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Tommy splits its recorded history at 1953: 57% of all births land in the more recent half, 43% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1880 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1947 peak of 4,594 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Tommy at a glance

Top 1,000 boys' name

Total births

178,733

Since 1880

146 years of records

Peak year

1947

4,594 births that year

Strongest decade: 1940s

Current rank

#731

Among boys

As of 2025

Active since

1880

Recorded for 146 years

Last year on file: 2025

Tommy popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (1947)
4,594
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
-2,00002,0004,0006,000 188018991918193719561975199420132025 420

Tommy popularity over time - girls

2,942 total births recorded since 1895 (Tommy as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 2,942 births
020406080 189519201934194819621976199020052025 35

Tommy by decade

Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance

1940s was Tommy's strongest decade.

37,046 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.

Tommy births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1940s at 37,046 births (21% of all-time use).

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

How Tommy 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 Tommy's total volume

Tommy vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Tommy vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8% 100110120130140150 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 Tommy
Tommy vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Tommy by state

Where Tommy concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Tommy
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Texas
25,510 14.3%
#2 California
12,855 7.2%
#3 Georgia
11,477 6.4%
#4 Tennessee
9,480 5.3%
#5 North Carolina
9,365 5.2%
#6 Alabama
8,919 5.0%
#7 Oklahoma
8,515 4.8%
#8 Mississippi
7,437 4.2%
Texas share of Tommy's total US births 14.3%
Even split

25,510 of 178,733 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 49 reporting states.

Tommy appears in 49 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Tommy?
178,733 babies have been named Tommy since 1880. It currently ranks #731 among boys. The peak year was 1947 with 4,594 births.
When was Tommy most popular?
Tommy was most popular in the 1940s decade with 37,046 total births. The single peak year was 1947.
Where is Tommy most popular?
The top states for the name Tommy are Texas (25,510 births), California (12,855 births), Georgia (11,477 births).
How long has the name Tommy been used?
Records for Tommy go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Tommy?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Tom, Tommie, Tomas, Tomie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Tommy's data

  • Tommy's decade-level peak was the 1940s (37,046 total births); usage has since declined to 2,202 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • Texas records the most Tommys (25,510 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.

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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

Cite this page

NameAlmanac Editorial. "Tommy: #731 Boys' Name - 178,733 Births, Peak 1947." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/tommy. 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 Tommy 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.