Unisex name · since 2020
Wave
Since 2020, U.S. Social Security records show 126 babies named Wave, peaking in 2024. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #15,934 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,378 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 126
- born since 2020
- 2020s
- peak decade
Yes -- Wave is the #3378 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 126 recorded since 2020.
Social Security Administration records show Wave recorded 126 times among boys since 2020, holding rank #3378 nationally today, ahead of 76% of boys, peaking in the 2020s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 2020 to 2025.
- #15,934 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #3,378 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 126 born since 2020
- 2020s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Wave ranks #15,934 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,378 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 126 born since 2020, peaking in the 2020s.
- #15,934 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,378 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 126
- born since 2020
- 2020s
- peak decade
Wave's 126 recorded births place it above 64.96% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 2 jurisdictions, led by California.
How Wave compares
126 30th percentile among 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
Wave's all-time total is 66% below the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Wave | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 126 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 37 | 34 | 22,252 |
Wave's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Wave's full recorded timeline at 2023, 77% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 23% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 2020, with just 6 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2024 peak of 37 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Wave popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2020–2025
- Peak year (2024)
- 37
- Annual births at peak, across 6 years of records
Wave popularity over time - girls
116 total births recorded since 1897 (Wave as girls' name)
Wave by decade
2020s is the heaviest window (126 births, 100% of the file).
2020s was Wave's strongest decade.
126 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 100% of all-time use.
Wave births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 2020s
2020s
126 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 126 births (100% of all-time use).
Wave by state
Where Wave concentrates geographically, total births since 2020
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 10 | 7.9% |
| #2 | New York | | 5 | 4.0% |
10 of 126 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 2 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Wave? ▼
Where does Wave sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Wave most popular? ▼
Where is Wave most popular? ▼
Is Wave a unisex name? ▼
How long has the name Wave been used? ▼
What names are similar to Wave? ▼
What to do with Wave's data
- California records the most Waves (10 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 Wave
Nearby Names Like Wave
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Wave
Compare Wave side by side: Wave vs Waverly Wave vs Wavie Wave vs Wavely
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Wave
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Wave: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2024)
Similar record span (~5 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, 2020–2025 (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 Wave 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.