Unisex name · since 1972
Unique
Unique has 7,615 recorded births since 1972 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2009 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1,960 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,447 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 7,615
- born since 1972
- 2000s
- peak decade
Yes -- Unique is the #2447 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 7,615 recorded since 1972.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Unique has been recorded 7,615 times among girls since 1972, currently ranked #2447 nationally and more common than 86% of girls, 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 1972 to 2025.
- #1,960 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #2,447 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 7,615 born since 1972
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Unique ranks #1,960 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,447 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 7,615 born since 1972, peaking in the 2000s.
- #1,960 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,447 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 7,615
- born since 1972
- 2000s
- peak decade
Unique's 7,615 recorded births place it above 97.29% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
32 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Unique compares
7,615 Top 11% higher than 89% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Unique's all-time total is 20x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Unique | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 7,615 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 292 | 21 | 19,840 |
Unique's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Unique's full recorded timeline at 1999, 65% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 35% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1974, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2009 peak of 292 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Unique popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1972–2025
- Peak year (2009)
- 292
- Annual births at peak, across 54 years of records
Unique popularity over time - boys
954 total births recorded since 1976 (Unique as boys' name)
Unique by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (2,476 births, 33% of the file).
2000s was Unique's strongest decade.
2,476 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 33% of all-time use.
Unique births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 166
1970s
166 births
- 1980s 745
1980s
745 births
- 1990s
1990s
2,039 births
- 2000s
2000s
2,476 births
- 2010s
2010s
1,576 births
- 2020s 613
2020s
613 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 2,476 births (33% of all-time use).
How Unique compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Unique's total volume
Unique by state
Where Unique concentrates geographically, total births since 1972
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,127 | 14.8% |
| #2 | New York | | 573 | 7.5% |
| #3 | Texas | | 514 | 6.7% |
| #4 | Florida | | 438 | 5.8% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 320 | 4.2% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 319 | 4.2% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 316 | 4.1% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 260 | 3.4% |
1,127 of 7,615 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 32 reporting states.
Unique appears in 32 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Unique? ▼
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When was Unique most popular? ▼
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What to do with Unique's data
- Unique's decade-level peak was the 2000s (2,476 total births); usage has since declined to 613 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Uniques (1,127 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 Unique
Nearby Names Like Unique
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Unique
Compare Unique side by side: Unique vs Unity Unique vs Uniqua Unique vs Unice
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Unique
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Unique: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2009)
Similar record span (~53 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, 1972–2025 (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 Unique 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.