Boys' name · since 1882
Woody
Woody has 4,236 recorded births since 1882 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1946 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1,999 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #7,696 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 4,236
- born since 1882
- 1940s
- peak decade
Woody currently ranks #7696 among boys' names in America, with 4,236 babies recorded since 1882.
Woody has 4,236 recorded births among boys since 1882, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #7696 as of the latest data, more common than 45% of boys, busiest in the 1940s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1882 to 2025.
- #1,999 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #7,696 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 4,236 born since 1882
- 1940s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Woody ranks #1,999 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,696 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 4,236 born since 1882, peaking in the 1940s.
- #1,999 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #7,696 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 4,236
- born since 1882
- 1940s
- peak decade
Woody's 4,236 recorded births place it above 95.6% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
20 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Woody compares
4,236 Top 14% higher than 86% 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
Woody's all-time total is 11x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Woody | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 4,236 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 116 | 34 | 22,252 |
Woody's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Woody's SSA record in two at 1963 and the more recent half accounts for 37% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 63%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1882, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1946 peak of 116, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Woody popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2025
- Peak year (1946)
- 116
- Annual births at peak, across 144 years of records
Woody popularity over time - girls
10 total births recorded since 1937 (Woody as girls' name)
Woody by decade
1940s is the heaviest window (910 births, 21% of the file).
1940s was Woody's strongest decade.
910 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Woody births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 27
1880s
27 births
- 1890s 5
1890s
5 births
- 1900s 12
1900s
12 births
- 1910s 160
1910s
160 births
- 1920s 206
1920s
206 births
- 1930s 305
1930s
305 births
- 1940s
1940s
910 births
- 1950s
1950s
813 births
- 1960s
1960s
577 births
- 1970s
1970s
471 births
- 1980s 287
1980s
287 births
- 1990s 212
1990s
212 births
- 2000s 92
2000s
92 births
- 2010s 79
2010s
79 births
- 2020s 80
2020s
80 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 910 births (21% of all-time use).
How Woody 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 Woody's total volume
Woody by state
Where Woody concentrates geographically, total births since 1882
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 361 | 8.5% |
| #2 | North Carolina | | 198 | 4.7% |
| #3 | California | | 144 | 3.4% |
| #4 | Tennessee | | 89 | 2.1% |
| #5 | Florida | | 73 | 1.7% |
| #6 | Kentucky | | 68 | 1.6% |
| #7 | Oklahoma | | 54 | 1.3% |
| #8 | Virginia | | 53 | 1.3% |
361 of 4,236 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 20 reporting states.
Woody appears in 20 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Woody? ▼
Where does Woody sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Woody most popular? ▼
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What to do with Woody's data
- Woody's decade-level peak was the 1940s (910 total births); usage has since declined to 80 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Woodys (361 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 Woody
Nearby Names Like Woody
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Woody
Compare Woody side by side: Woody vs Woodrow Woody vs Woodie Woody vs Woodson
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Woody
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Woody: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1946)
Similar record span (~143 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, 1882–2025 (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 Woody 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.