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
More common than 95% of names given to boys today.
21% of everyone ever named Tommy was born in this single decade.
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' namePeak year
Current rank
Active since
Tommy popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1947)
- 4,594
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Currently ranks #731 among boys.
178,733 total births across 146 years of SSA records. Peaked in 1947 with 4,594 births in a single year.
Tommy popularity over time - girls
2,942 total births recorded since 1895 (Tommy as girls' name)
Unisex use remains the minority pattern
The girls' variant of Tommy accounts for 2% of total recorded use across both genders.
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
- 1880s 94
1880s
94 births
- 1890s 159
1890s
159 births
- 1900s 406
1900s
406 births
- 1910s 1,805
1910s
1,805 births
- 1920s 6,849
1920s
6,849 births
- 1930s
1930s
19,857 births
- 1940s
1940s
37,046 births
- 1950s
1950s
34,974 births
- 1960s
1960s
29,365 births
- 1970s
1970s
16,175 births
- 1980s 10,462
1980s
10,462 births
- 1990s 9,038
1990s
9,038 births
- 2000s 6,709
2000s
6,709 births
- 2010s 3,592
2010s
3,592 births
- 2020s 2,202
2020s
2,202 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 37,046 births (21% of all-time use).
Tommy decade highlights
- Peak decade 37,046 births
- Runner-up 34,974 births
- Modern era share 2010s + 2020s
- Decades tracked with recorded births
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 by state
Where Tommy concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| 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% |
25,510 of 178,733 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 49 reporting states.
Top 5 states
- Texas 14.3% of nationwide
- California 7.2% of nationwide
- Georgia 6.4% of nationwide
- Tennessee 5.3% of nationwide
- North Carolina 5.2% of nationwide
Recorded in 49 of 51 SSA jurisdictions
Texas accounts for 14.3% of all recorded births nationwide - a relatively diffuse profile for this name.
Tommy appears in 49 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Tommy? ▼
When was Tommy most popular? ▼
Where is Tommy most popular? ▼
How long has the name Tommy been used? ▼
What names are similar to Tommy? ▼
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.
Keep exploring Tommy
Nearby Names Like Tommy
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Tommy
Compare Tommy side by side: Tommy vs Tom Tommy vs Tommie Tommy vs Tomas
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Tommy
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.
Published by
NameAlmanac Editorial
Independent public-data reference that compiles, verifies, and contextualizes official datasets. We do not accept compensation from entities we cover, and every dataset cites its originating public source.