Boys' name · since 1956
Trace
13,764 babies named Trace in U.S. Social Security records since 1956, with the highest year being 2008. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1,015 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #757 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 13,764
- born since 1956
- 2000s
- peak decade
13,764 babies have been named Trace since 1956, making it today's #757 boys' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Trace has been recorded 13,764 times among boys since 1956, currently ranked #757 nationally and more common than 95% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2000s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1956 to 2025.
- #1,015 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #757 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 13,764 born since 1956
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Trace ranks #1,015 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #757 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 13,764 born since 1956, peaking in the 2000s.
- #1,015 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #757 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 13,764
- born since 1956
- 2000s
- peak decade
Trace's 13,764 recorded births place it above 97.76% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
43 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Trace compares
13,764 Top 8% higher than 92% 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
Trace's all-time total is 37x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Trace | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 13,764 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 534 | 34 | 22,252 |
Trace's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Trace's full recorded timeline at 1991, 90% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 10% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1974, with just 15 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2008 peak of 534 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Trace popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1956–2025
- Peak year (2008)
- 534
- Annual births at peak, across 70 years of records
Trace popularity over time - girls
348 total births recorded since 1959 (Trace as girls' name)
Trace by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (4,524 births, 33% of the file).
2000s was Trace's strongest decade.
4,524 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 33% of all-time use.
Trace births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 76
1950s
76 births
- 1960s 403
1960s
403 births
- 1970s 259
1970s
259 births
- 1980s 464
1980s
464 births
- 1990s
1990s
2,409 births
- 2000s
2000s
4,524 births
- 2010s
2010s
3,465 births
- 2020s
2020s
2,164 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 4,524 births (33% of all-time use).
How Trace 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 Trace's total volume
Trace by state
Where Trace concentrates geographically, total births since 1956
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 1,617 | 11.7% |
| #2 | Florida | | 799 | 5.8% |
| #3 | California | | 677 | 4.9% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 618 | 4.5% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 488 | 3.5% |
| #6 | Indiana | | 466 | 3.4% |
| #7 | Louisiana | | 427 | 3.1% |
| #8 | Tennessee | | 355 | 2.6% |
1,617 of 13,764 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 43 reporting states.
Trace appears in 43 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Trace? ▼
Where does Trace sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Trace most popular? ▼
Where is Trace most popular? ▼
How long has the name Trace been used? ▼
What names are similar to Trace? ▼
What to do with Trace's data
- Trace's usage has stayed within range of its 2000s decade-level peak (4,524 total births) through the 2020s (2,164) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Texas records the most Traces (1,617 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Trace
Nearby Names Like Trace
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Trace
Compare Trace side by side: Trace vs Travis Trace vs Tracy Trace vs Tracey
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Trace
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Trace: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2008)
Similar record span (~69 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, 1956–2025 (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 Trace 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.