Boys' name · since 1880

Waldo

Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 5,716 babies named Waldo, peaking in 1915. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#1,640 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#10,704 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
5,716
born since 1880
1920s
peak decade

Waldo currently ranks #10704 among boys' names in America, with 5,716 babies recorded since 1880.

Waldo has 5,716 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #10704 as of the latest data, more common than 23% of boys, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.

  • #1,640 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #10,704 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 5,716 born since 1880
  • 1920s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Waldo ranks #1,640 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #10,704 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 5,716 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.

#1,640 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#10,704 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
5,716
born since 1880
1920s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%23.1%
Waldo vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Waldo's 5,716 recorded births place it above 96.39% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

33 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

33 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Ohio.

How Waldo compares

5,716 Top 12% higher than 88% 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

Waldo's all-time total is 15x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Waldo Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 5,716 369 358,536
Peak-year births 174 34 22,252

Waldo's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Waldo's full recorded timeline at 1950, 23% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 77% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2013, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1915 peak of 174 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Waldo popularity over time - boys

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

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1915)
174
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
050100150200 188018981916193419521970198820062025 6

Waldo popularity over time - girls

6 total births recorded since 1921 (Waldo as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 6 births
6 1921 6

Waldo by decade

1920s is the heaviest window (1,355 births, 24% of the file).

1920s was Waldo's strongest decade.

1,355 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.

Waldo births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1920s at 1,355 births (24% of all-time use).

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

How Waldo 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 Waldo's total volume

Waldo vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%10%20%30%40% 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 -58, 4.1%-146, 4.8%-57, 3.5%-70, 4.7%-146, 3.5%-146, 4.2%-146, 1.9%-113, 2.4%-146, 2.7%-71, 4.6%-81, 4.1%-38, 8.2%-38, 4.6%-37, 30.9%-146, 2.4%Waldo-146, 3%Waldo
Waldo vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Waldo by state

Where Waldo concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Waldo
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Ohio
232 4.1%
#2 Texas
173 3.0%
#3 California
168 2.9%
#4 Minnesota
148 2.6%
#5 Missouri
121 2.1%
#6 Illinois
115 2.0%
#7 New York
109 1.9%
#8 Iowa
105 1.8%
Ohio share of Waldo's total US births 4.1%
Even split

232 of 5,716 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 33 reporting states.

Waldo appears in 33 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Waldo? ▼
5,716 babies have been named Waldo since 1880. All-time, it sits at #1,640 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #10,704 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 1915 with 174 births.
Where does Waldo sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Waldo ranks #1,640 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #10,704 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 Waldo most popular? ▼
Waldo was most popular in the 1920s decade with 1,355 total births. The single peak year was 1915.
Where is Waldo most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Waldo are Ohio (232 births), Texas (173 births), California (168 births).
How long has the name Waldo been used? ▼
Records for Waldo go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Waldo? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Walter, Wallace, Walker, Walton, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Waldo's data

  • Waldo's decade-level peak was the 1920s (1,355 total births); usage has since declined to 22 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • Ohio records the most Waldos (232 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Ohio names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Waldo

Nearby Names Like Waldo

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

Walter Boy
#251 631,172 births
Wallace Boy
#960 83,263 births
Walker Boy
#78 47,914 births
Walton Boy
#2422 5,889 births
Wally Boy
#5625 4,954 births

Compare Waldo side by side: Waldo vs Walter Waldo vs Wallace Waldo vs Walker

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Waldo

Buford #10703
10,854 births · Peak 1921
Toney #10705
6,416 births · Peak 1961
Eldridge #10702
5,247 births · Peak 1924
Allison #10706
3,825 births · Peak 1917
Horatio #10701
1,443 births · Peak 2007
Ballard #10707
1,159 births · Peak 1922
Dell #10700
4,008 births · Peak 1953
Candido #10708
2,087 births · Peak 1996

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Waldo: 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 Waldo 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.