Total births
251,595
Boys' name · since 1880
Tony
251,595 babies named Tony in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1961. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #806
- among boys today
- 251,595
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other boys
251,595 babies have been named Tony since 1880, making it today's #806 boys' name.
Social Security Administration records show Tony recorded 251,595 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #806 nationally today, ahead of 94% of boys, peaking in the 1960s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #806 among boys today
- 251,595 born since 1880
- 1960s peak decade
- 94% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Tony is currently the #806 boys' name in America, more common than 94% of boys - 251,595 born since 1880, peaking in the 1960s.
- #806
- among boys today
- 251,595
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other boys
Tony vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#806
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 94% of names given to boys today.
1960s
Peak decade
28% of everyone ever named Tony was born in this single decade.
1961
Single peak year
8,306 babies were named Tony in 1961 - its busiest year on record.
How Tony compares
251,595 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
Tony's all-time total is 686x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Tony | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 251,595 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 8,306 | 23 | 22,252 |
Tony's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Tony's full recorded timeline at 1953, 79% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 21% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1886, with just 29 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1961 peak of 8,306 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Tony at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1961
Current rank
#806
Active since
1880
Tony popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1961)
- 8,306
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Tony popularity over time - girls
2,888 total births recorded since 1889 (Tony as girls' name)
Tony by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1960s was Tony's strongest decade.
70,577 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 28% of all-time use.
Tony births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 401
1880s
401 births
- 1890s 475
1890s
475 births
- 1900s 1,020
1900s
1,020 births
- 1910s 7,495
1910s
7,495 births
- 1920s 10,398
1920s
10,398 births
- 1930s 9,163
1930s
9,163 births
- 1940s 16,960
1940s
16,960 births
- 1950s
1950s
40,782 births
- 1960s
1960s
70,577 births
- 1970s
1970s
35,676 births
- 1980s 24,500
1980s
24,500 births
- 1990s 16,141
1990s
16,141 births
- 2000s 9,850
2000s
9,850 births
- 2010s 6,031
2010s
6,031 births
- 2020s 2,126
2020s
2,126 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 70,577 births (28% of all-time use).
How Tony 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 Tony's total volume
Tony vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Tony by state
Where Tony concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 27,885 | 11.1% |
| #2 | Texas | | 20,540 | 8.2% |
| #3 | North Carolina | | 14,248 | 5.7% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 12,142 | 4.8% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 12,099 | 4.8% |
| #6 | New York | | 10,268 | 4.1% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 10,222 | 4.1% |
| #8 | Tennessee | | 9,399 | 3.7% |
California share of Tony's total US births 11.1%
Even split
27,885 of 251,595 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Tony appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Tony? ▼
251,595 babies have been named Tony since 1880. It currently ranks #806 among boys. The peak year was 1961 with 8,306 births.
When was Tony most popular? ▼
Tony was most popular in the 1960s decade with 70,577 total births. The single peak year was 1961.
Where is Tony most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Tony are California (27,885 births), Texas (20,540 births), North Carolina (14,248 births).
How long has the name Tony been used? ▼
Tony has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Tony? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Toney, Toni, Tonny, Tonnie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Tony's data
- Tony's decade-level peak was the 1960s (70,577 total births); usage has since declined to 2,126 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Tonys (27,885 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California 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 Tony
Nearby Names Like Tony
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Tony
Toney Boy
#10950 6,416 births
Toni Boy
#6514 1,564 births
Tonny Boy
#12543 902 births
Tonnie Boy
473 births
Tonya Boy
435 births
Compare Tony side by side: Tony vs Toney Tony vs Toni Tony vs Tonny
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Tony
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. "Tony: #806 Boys' Name - 251,595 Births, Peak 1961." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/tony. 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 Tony 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.