Girls' name · since 1881
Ursula
Since 1881, U.S. Social Security records show 14,811 babies named Ursula, peaking in 1967. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #1,295 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #4,666 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 14,811
- born since 1881
- 1960s
- peak decade
14,811 babies have been named Ursula since 1881, making it today's #4666 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ursula has been recorded 14,811 times among girls since 1881, currently ranked #4666 nationally and more common than 73% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1960s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1881 to 2025.
- #1,295 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #4,666 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 14,811 born since 1881
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ursula ranks #1,295 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,666 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 14,811 born since 1881, peaking in the 1960s.
- #1,295 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #4,666 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 14,811
- born since 1881
- 1960s
- peak decade
Ursula's 14,811 recorded births place it above 98.2% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
34 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Ursula compares
14,811 Top 8% higher than 92% 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
Ursula's all-time total is 39x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Ursula | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 14,811 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 400 | 21 | 19,840 |
Ursula's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Ursula's full recorded timeline at 1953, 62% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 38% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1881, with just 6 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1967 peak of 400 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Ursula popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1881–2025
- Peak year (1967)
- 400
- Annual births at peak, across 145 years of records
Ursula by decade
1960s is the heaviest window (2,810 births, 19% of the file).
1960s was Ursula's strongest decade.
2,810 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 19% of all-time use.
Ursula births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 121
1880s
121 births
- 1890s 279
1890s
279 births
- 1900s 460
1900s
460 births
- 1910s
1910s
1,141 births
- 1920s
1920s
1,441 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,126 births
- 1940s 785
1940s
785 births
- 1950s 1,087
1950s
1,087 births
- 1960s
1960s
2,810 births
- 1970s
1970s
2,740 births
- 1980s
1980s
1,398 births
- 1990s 591
1990s
591 births
- 2000s 357
2000s
357 births
- 2010s 295
2010s
295 births
- 2020s 180
2020s
180 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 2,810 births (19% of all-time use).
How Ursula 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 Ursula's total volume
Ursula by state
Where Ursula concentrates geographically, total births since 1881
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 1,676 | 11.3% |
| #2 | California | | 1,174 | 7.9% |
| #3 | Texas | | 842 | 5.7% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 757 | 5.1% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 670 | 4.5% |
| #6 | Louisiana | | 597 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 529 | 3.6% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 433 | 2.9% |
1,676 of 14,811 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 34 reporting states.
Ursula appears in 34 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Ursula? ▼
Where does Ursula sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Ursula most popular? ▼
Where is Ursula most popular? ▼
How long has the name Ursula been used? ▼
What names are similar to Ursula? ▼
What to do with Ursula's data
- Ursula's decade-level peak was the 1960s (2,810 total births); usage has since declined to 180 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Ursulas (1,676 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Ursula
Nearby Names Like Ursula
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Ursula
Compare Ursula side by side: Ursula vs Ursala Ursula vs Ursa Ursula vs Ursela
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Ursula
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Ursula: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1967)
Similar record span (~144 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, 1881–2025 (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 Ursula 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.