Sources and method
Where our numbers and name facts come from, how we calculate them and how often they are refreshed.
The data
All popularity numbers come from the US Social Security Administration’s national and state baby name files, built from Social Security card applications for babies born in the United States. The files list every name given to at least five babies of one sex in a year, for each year since 1880.
What we calculate
- Ranks are positions among names of the same sex, counted from the official counts. “Overall” ranks add boys and girls together.
- Trend labels use the number of babies: Rising means up 25% or more in ten years, Cooling means down 25% or more, Stable is in between.
- A name counts as unisex when the less common sex makes up at least 10% of the babies and the name has at least 1,500 babies in the latest year.
- State rankings come from the same files and show the rank inside each state, not babies per head.
- The exact rule behind each chart or table is written in the “How these numbers are built” panel on that page.
Name facts
Meanings, history, notable people and pop-culture mentions come from published reference works, mainly encyclopedia entries, and are rewritten in our own words. Each page links the sources it uses. When sources disagree or the origin is uncertain, the page says so.
Limits to keep in mind
- The data covers births in the United States only.
- Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year are not published, so very rare names have gaps.
- The sex in the files is the one recorded on the Social Security application. It is not a statement about any child’s identity.
- The newest year is always about a year behind. The Social Security Administration releases new data once a year, around Mother’s Day.
Updates
We refresh every number each spring when the new files appear, then check the pages again before they are republished. This page was last reviewed in October 2026.