Boys' name · since 1880
Ulysses
18,655 babies named Ulysses in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1999. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #860 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,197 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 18,655
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
Yes -- Ulysses is the #1197 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 18,655 recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ulysses has been recorded 18,655 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #1197 nationally and more common than 91% 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 1880 to 2025.
- #860 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,197 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 18,655 born since 1880
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ulysses ranks #860 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,197 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 18,655 born since 1880, peaking in the 2000s.
- #860 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,197 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 18,655
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
Ulysses's 18,655 recorded births place it above 98.1% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
35 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Ulysses compares
18,655 Top 7% higher than 93% 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
Ulysses's all-time total is 51x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Ulysses | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 18,655 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 272 | 34 | 22,252 |
Ulysses's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Ulysses's full recorded timeline at 1953, 60% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 40% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1883, with just 14 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1999 peak of 272 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Ulysses popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1999)
- 272
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Ulysses popularity over time - girls
25 total births recorded since 1921 (Ulysses as girls' name)
Ulysses by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (1,884 births, 10% of the file).
2000s was Ulysses's strongest decade.
1,884 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 10% of all-time use.
Ulysses births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 241
1880s
241 births
- 1890s 310
1890s
310 births
- 1900s 294
1900s
294 births
- 1910s
1910s
1,182 births
- 1920s
1920s
1,839 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,450 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,559 births
- 1950s
1950s
1,651 births
- 1960s
1960s
1,282 births
- 1970s
1970s
1,100 births
- 1980s
1980s
1,352 births
- 1990s
1990s
1,738 births
- 2000s
2000s
1,884 births
- 2010s
2010s
1,723 births
- 2020s
2020s
1,050 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 1,884 births (10% of all-time use).
How Ulysses 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 Ulysses's total volume
Ulysses by state
Where Ulysses concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 2,824 | 15.1% |
| #2 | Georgia | | 1,573 | 8.4% |
| #3 | Texas | | 1,467 | 7.9% |
| #4 | Florida | | 1,151 | 6.2% |
| #5 | South Carolina | | 856 | 4.6% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 799 | 4.3% |
| #7 | New York | | 699 | 3.7% |
| #8 | Alabama | | 583 | 3.1% |
2,824 of 18,655 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 35 reporting states.
Ulysses appears in 35 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Ulysses? ▼
Where does Ulysses sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Ulysses most popular? ▼
Where is Ulysses most popular? ▼
How long has the name Ulysses been used? ▼
What names are similar to Ulysses? ▼
What to do with Ulysses's data
- Ulysses's usage has stayed within range of its 2000s decade-level peak (1,884 total births) through the 2020s (1,050) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Ulyssess (2,824 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 Ulysses
Nearby Names Like Ulysses
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Ulysses
Compare Ulysses side by side: Ulysses vs Ulyses Ulysses vs Ulysee Ulysses vs Ulysess
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Ulysses
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Ulysses: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1999)
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 Ulysses 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.