Boys' name · since 2011
Whelan
Whelan has 83 recorded births since 2011 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2022 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #18,681 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #8,753 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 83
- born since 2011
- 2020s
- peak decade
Yes -- Whelan is the #8753 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 83 recorded since 2011.
Whelan has 83 recorded births among boys since 2011, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #8753 as of the latest data, more common than 37% 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 2011 to 2025.
- #18,681 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #8,753 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 83 born since 2011
- 2020s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Whelan ranks #18,681 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #8,753 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 83 born since 2011, peaking in the 2020s.
- #18,681 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #8,753 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 83
- born since 2011
- 2020s
- peak decade
Whelan's 83 recorded births place it above 58.91% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
How Whelan compares
83 23rd 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
Whelan's all-time total is 78% below the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Whelan | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 83 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 15 | 34 | 22,252 |
Whelan's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Whelan's SSA record in two at 2019 and the more recent half accounts for 63% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 37%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 2011, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2022 peak of 15, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Whelan popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2011–2025
- Peak year (2022)
- 15
- Annual births at peak, across 15 years of records
Whelan by decade
2020s is the heaviest window (46 births, 55% of the file).
2020s was Whelan's strongest decade.
46 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 55% of all-time use.
Whelan births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 2010s
2010s
37 births
- 2020s
2020s
46 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 46 births (55% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
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Keep exploring Whelan
Nearby Names Like Whelan
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Whelan
Compare Whelan side by side: Whelan vs Wheeler Whelan vs Whelen Whelan vs Wheaton
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Whelan
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Whelan: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2022)
Similar record span (~14 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, 2011–2025 (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 Whelan 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.