Total births
97,663
Unisex name · since 1936
Whitney
97,663 babies named Whitney in U.S. Social Security records since 1936, with the highest year being 1986. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1050
- among girls today
- 97,663
- born since 1936
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
97,663 babies have been named Whitney since 1936, making it today's #1050 unisex name.
Social Security Administration records show Whitney recorded 97,663 times among girls since 1936, holding rank #1050 nationally today, ahead of 94% of girls, peaking in the 1980s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1936 to 2025.
- #1050 among girls today
- 97,663 born since 1936
- 1980s peak decade
- 94% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Whitney is currently the #1050 unisex name in America, more common than 94% of girls - 97,663 born since 1936, peaking in the 1980s.
- #1050
- among girls today
- 97,663
- born since 1936
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
Whitney vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1050
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 94% of names given to girls today.
1980s
Peak decade
45% of everyone ever named Whitney was born in this single decade.
1986
Single peak year
9,536 babies were named Whitney in 1986 - its busiest year on record.
How Whitney compares
97,663 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Whitney's all-time total is 256x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Whitney | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 97,663 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 9,536 | 48 | 19,840 |
Whitney's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Whitney's full recorded timeline at 1981, 91% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 9% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1939, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1986 peak of 9,536 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Whitney at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1986
Current rank
#1,050
Active since
1936
Whitney popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1936–2025
- Peak year (1986)
- 9,536
- Annual births at peak, across 90 years of records
Whitney popularity over time - boys
5,994 total births recorded since 1884 (Whitney as boys' name)
Whitney by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Whitney's strongest decade.
44,373 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 45% of all-time use.
Whitney births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1930s 30
1930s
30 births
- 1940s 95
1940s
95 births
- 1950s 122
1950s
122 births
- 1960s 2,147
1960s
2,147 births
- 1970s 5,003
1970s
5,003 births
- 1980s
1980s
44,373 births
- 1990s
1990s
32,886 births
- 2000s 7,182
2000s
7,182 births
- 2010s 4,323
2010s
4,323 births
- 2020s 1,502
2020s
1,502 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 44,373 births (45% of all-time use).
How Whitney compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Whitney's total volume
Whitney vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Whitney by state
Where Whitney concentrates geographically, total births since 1936
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 8,088 | 8.3% |
| #2 | California | | 6,221 | 6.4% |
| #3 | Tennessee | | 4,216 | 4.3% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 4,101 | 4.2% |
| #5 | Kentucky | | 3,942 | 4.0% |
| #6 | Florida | | 3,779 | 3.9% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 3,652 | 3.7% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 3,589 | 3.7% |
Texas share of Whitney's total US births 8.3%
Even split
8,088 of 97,663 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Whitney appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Whitney? ▼
Whitney has been given to 97,663 babies in the U.S. since 1936, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #1050 as of the latest data. 9,536 babies were born in 1986, its single highest year.
When was Whitney most popular? ▼
Whitney was most popular in the 1980s decade with 44,373 total births. The single peak year was 1986.
Where is Whitney most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Whitney are Texas (8,088 births), California (6,221 births), Tennessee (4,216 births).
Is Whitney a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Whitney is used for both boys and girls. As a girl's name it has 97,663 births, and as a boy's name it has 5,994 births.
How long has the name Whitney been used? ▼
Whitney has been recorded in Social Security data since 1936, spanning 90 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Whitney? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Whitley, Whittney, Whitlee, Whisper, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Whitney's data
- Whitney's decade-level peak was the 1980s (44,373 total births); usage has since declined to 1,502 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Whitneys (8,088 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Whitney
Nearby Names Like Whitney
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Whitney
Whitley Girl
#684 8,148 births
Whittney Girl
1,633 births
Whitlee Girl
#3031 930 births
Whisper Girl
#13847 792 births
Whitnee Girl
607 births
Compare Whitney side by side: Whitney vs Whitley Whitney vs Whittney Whitney vs Whitlee
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Whitney
Eliyanah #1049
1,601 births · Peak 2024
Dalilah #1051
5,135 births · Peak 2008
Adara #1048
2,917 births · Peak 2025
Mattie #1052
133,079 births · Peak 1920
Kiyomi #1047
2,238 births · Peak 2025
Marcella #1053
65,614 births · Peak 1922
Sandra #1046
875,531 births · Peak 1947
Casey #1054
78,100 births · Peak 1987
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1936–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Whitney: #1050 Unisex Name - 97,663 Births, Peak 1986." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/whitney. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Whitney 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 June 2026.