Unisex name · since 1880
Young
Young has 2,234 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1991 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #3,074 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 2,234
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
2,234 boys have been named Young since 1880, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.
Young has 2,234 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2022.
- #3,074 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 2,234 born since 1880
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Young ranks #3,074 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 2,234 born since 1880, peaking in the 1990s.
- #3,074 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 2,234
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
Young's 2,234 recorded births place it above 93.24% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
7 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
Young's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Young splits its recorded history at 1950: 59% of all births land in the more recent half, 41% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1894 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1991 peak of 42 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Young popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2022
- Peak year (1991)
- 42
- Annual births at peak, across 143 years of records
Young popularity over time - girls
530 total births recorded since 1920 (Young as girls' name)
Young by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (320 births, 14% of the file).
1990s was Young's strongest decade.
320 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 14% of all-time use.
Young births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 103
1880s
103 births
- 1890s 66
1890s
66 births
- 1900s 56
1900s
56 births
- 1910s
1910s
177 births
- 1920s
1920s
211 births
- 1930s
1930s
158 births
- 1940s
1940s
145 births
- 1950s
1950s
147 births
- 1960s
1960s
130 births
- 1970s
1970s
233 births
- 1980s
1980s
300 births
- 1990s
1990s
320 births
- 2000s 105
2000s
105 births
- 2010s 69
2010s
69 births
- 2020s 14
2020s
14 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 320 births (14% of all-time use).
How Young 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 Young's total volume
Young by state
Where Young concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 181 | 8.1% |
| #2 | Kansas | | 68 | 3.0% |
| #3 | New York | | 30 | 1.3% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 27 | 1.2% |
| #5 | Alabama | | 23 | 1.0% |
| #6 | Texas | | 22 | 1.0% |
| #7 | Hawaii | | 12 | 0.5% |
181 of 2,234 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 7 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Young's data
- Young's decade-level peak was the 1990s (320 total births); usage has since declined to 14 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Youngs (181 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 Young
Nearby Names Like Young
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Young
Compare Young side by side: Young vs Yousef Young vs Youssef Young vs Yousuf
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Young: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1991)
Similar record span (~142 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, 1880–2022 (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 Young 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.