Total births
18,655
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.
- #1290
- among boys today
- 18,655
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 91%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Ulysses is the #1290 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 #1290 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.
- #1290 among boys today
- 18,655 born since 1880
- 2000s peak decade
- 91% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Ulysses is currently the #1290 boys' name in America, more common than 91% of boys - 18,655 born since 1880, peaking in the 2000s.
- #1290
- among boys today
- 18,655
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 91%
- more common than other boys
Ulysses vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#1290
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 91% of names given to boys today.
2000s
Peak decade
10% of everyone ever named Ulysses was born in this single decade.
1999
Single peak year
272 babies were named Ulysses in 1999 - its busiest year on record.
How Ulysses compares
18,655 Top 6% higher than 94% 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
Ulysses's all-time total is 51x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Ulysses | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 18,655 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 272 | 23 | 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 at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1999
Current rank
#1,290
Active since
1880
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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 vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
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% |
California share of Ulysses's total US births 15.1%
Even split
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? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 18,655 babies named Ulysses. Today it holds rank #1290 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1999, with 272 births.
When was Ulysses most popular? ▼
Ulysses was most popular in the 2000s decade with 1,884 total births. The single peak year was 1999.
Where is Ulysses most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Ulysses are California (2,824 births), Georgia (1,573 births), Texas (1,467 births).
How long has the name Ulysses been used? ▼
Records for Ulysses go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Ulysses? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Ulyses, Ulysee, Ulysess, Ulysees, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
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
- 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 Ulysses
Nearby Names Like Ulysses
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Ulysses
Ulyses Boy
1,446 births
Ulysee Boy
503 births
Ulysess Boy
463 births
Ulysees Boy
397 births
Ulysse Boy
250 births
Compare Ulysses side by side: Ulysses vs Ulyses Ulysses vs Ulysee Ulysses vs Ulysess
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Ulysses
Karsyn #1289
2,898 births · Peak 2020
Booker #1291
12,230 births · Peak 1916
Graysen #1288
4,384 births · Peak 2016
Terrance #1292
70,170 births · Peak 1988
Ansel #1287
4,801 births · Peak 2025
Sultan #1293
2,396 births · Peak 2025
Will #1286
45,952 births · Peak 1888
Bronx #1294
2,388 births · Peak 2025
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. "Ulysses: #1290 Boys' Name - 18,655 Births, Peak 1999." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/ulysses. 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 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 June 2026.