Unisex name · since 1880

Van

Van has 29,432 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1954 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#687 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#970 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
29,432
born since 1880
1950s
peak decade

Van currently ranks #970 among unisex names in America, with 29,432 babies recorded since 1880.

Social Security Administration records show Van recorded 29,432 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #970 nationally today, ahead of 93% of boys, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.

  • #687 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #970 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 29,432 born since 1880
  • 1950s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Van ranks #687 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #970 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 29,432 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.

#687 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#970 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
29,432
born since 1880
1950s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%93%
Van vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Van's 29,432 recorded births place it above 98.48% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

43 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

43 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.

How Van compares

29,432 Top 5% higher than 95% 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

Van's all-time total is 80x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Van Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 29,432 369 358,536
Peak-year births 573 34 22,252

Van's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Van's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 60% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 40%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1906, with only 25 births recorded -- set against the 1954 peak of 573, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Van popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (1954)
573
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
0200400600800 188018991918193719561975199420132025 236

Van popularity over time - girls

1,762 total births recorded since 1888 (Van as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 1,762 births
020406080 188819231939195519701986200120172025 8

Van by decade

1950s is the heaviest window (5,090 births, 17% of the file).

1950s was Van's strongest decade.

5,090 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.

Van births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1950s at 5,090 births (17% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Van 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 Van's total volume

Van vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -146, 2.7%-41, 8.2%-68, 3.9%-113, 4.2%-146, 5.2%-79, 11%-146, 4.8%-117, 5.1%-34, 8.6%-126, 2.2%-100, 6.2%-78, 6.4%-51, 13.4%-111, 5.6%-113, 3.2%Van-146, 1.9%Van
Van vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Van by state

Where Van concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Van
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Texas
2,570 8.7%
#2 California
2,015 6.8%
#3 North Carolina
1,380 4.7%
#4 Illinois
1,169 4.0%
#5 Georgia
1,147 3.9%
#6 Louisiana
1,021 3.5%
#7 Mississippi
988 3.4%
#8 Florida
984 3.3%
Texas share of Van's total US births 8.7%
Even split

2,570 of 29,432 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 43 reporting states.

Van appears in 43 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Van? ▼
Van has been given to 29,432 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Its archive ordinal is #687 of 45,481 among boys' names (total births, highest first). Among boys in 2025, it is #970 of 13,930. 573 babies were born in 1954, its single highest year.
Where does Van sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Van ranks #687 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #970 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Van most popular? ▼
Van was most popular in the 1950s decade with 5,090 total births. The single peak year was 1954.
Where is Van most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Van are Texas (2,570 births), California (2,015 births), North Carolina (1,380 births).
Is Van a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Van is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 29,432 births, and as a girl's name it has 1,762 births.
How long has the name Van been used? ▼
Records for Van go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Van? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Vance, Vann, Vander, Vanessa, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Van's data

  • Van's decade-level peak was the 1950s (5,090 total births); usage has since declined to 1,515 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • Texas records the most Vans (2,570 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 Van

Nearby Names Like Van

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Van

Vance Boy
#1075 27,012 births
Vann Boy
#4253 2,057 births
Vander Boy
#1353 1,828 births
Vanessa Boy
984 births
Vansh Boy
#3916 718 births

Compare Van side by side: Van vs Vance Van vs Vann Van vs Vander

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Van

Imran #969
4,558 births · Peak 2023
Harlem #971
3,437 births · Peak 2023
Colten #968
16,358 births · Peak 2009
Beaux #972
2,541 births · Peak 2025
Arian #967
6,712 births · Peak 2013
Mathew #973
77,538 births · Peak 1990
Mordechai #966
6,821 births · Peak 2018
Quinton #974
31,623 births · Peak 1996

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Van: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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 Van 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.