Boys' name · since 1881
Wells
Wells has 6,989 recorded births since 1881 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2025 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1,464 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #347 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 6,989
- born since 1881
- 2020s
- peak decade
6,989 babies have been named Wells since 1881, making it today's #347 boys' name.
Wells has 6,989 recorded births among boys since 1881, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #347 as of the latest data, more common than 98% of boys, busiest in the 2020s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1881 to 2025.
- #1,464 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #347 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 6,989 born since 1881
- 2020s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Wells ranks #1,464 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #347 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 6,989 born since 1881, peaking in the 2020s.
- #1,464 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #347 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 6,989
- born since 1881
- 2020s
- peak decade
Wells's 6,989 recorded births place it above 96.78% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
43 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Wells compares
6,989 Top 11% higher than 89% 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
Wells's all-time total is 19x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Wells | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 6,989 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 944 | 34 | 22,252 |
Wells's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Wells's full recorded timeline at 1964, 89% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 11% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1881, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2025 peak of 944 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Wells popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1881–2025
- Peak year (2025)
- 944
- Annual births at peak, across 145 years of records
Wells popularity over time - girls
175 total births recorded since 1998 (Wells as girls' name)
Wells by decade
2020s is the heaviest window (4,310 births, 62% of the file).
2020s was Wells's strongest decade.
4,310 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 62% of all-time use.
Wells births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 16
1880s
16 births
- 1890s 5
1890s
5 births
- 1900s 6
1900s
6 births
- 1910s 172
1910s
172 births
- 1920s 193
1920s
193 births
- 1930s 119
1930s
119 births
- 1940s 110
1940s
110 births
- 1950s 90
1950s
90 births
- 1960s 68
1960s
68 births
- 1970s 87
1970s
87 births
- 1980s 71
1980s
71 births
- 1990s 103
1990s
103 births
- 2000s 166
2000s
166 births
- 2010s 1,473
2010s
1,473 births
- 2020s
2020s
4,310 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 4,310 births (62% of all-time use).
How Wells 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 Wells's total volume
Wells by state
Where Wells concentrates geographically, total births since 1881
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 498 | 7.1% |
| #2 | Utah | | 340 | 4.9% |
| #3 | North Carolina | | 308 | 4.4% |
| #4 | California | | 289 | 4.1% |
| #5 | Georgia | | 222 | 3.2% |
| #6 | Tennessee | | 213 | 3.0% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 204 | 2.9% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 197 | 2.8% |
498 of 6,989 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 43 reporting states.
Wells appears in 43 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Wells? ▼
Where does Wells sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Wells most popular? ▼
Where is Wells most popular? ▼
How long has the name Wells been used? ▼
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What to do with Wells's data
- Texas records the most Wellss (498 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 Wells
Nearby Names Like Wells
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Wells
Compare Wells side by side: Wells vs Weldon Wells vs Wellington Wells vs Welton
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Wells
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Wells: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2025)
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 Wells 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.