Popularity of the name David, 1880–2025
David was at its most popular in 1955, when 86,306 boys were given the name: about 1 in 24 boys born in the U.S. that year, ranking #2. In 2025, 6,794 boys were named David, ranking #35. In all, Social Security counts 3,676,654 boys named David since 1880. Social Security’s records also list 12,959 girls named David.
- Peak year
- 1955
- Rank in 1955
- #2
- Babies in 1955
- 86,306
- Rank in 2025
- #35
- Total since 1880
- 3,676,654
Where it stands now
Over the last ten years it has slipped from #18 in 2015 to #35 in 2025, with 11,838 boys named David in 2015 and 6,794 in 2025.
Decade by decade
David ranked highest in the 1960s, at #2, with 733,953 boys given the name that decade. It ranked #20 in the 1880s and #29 in the 2020s so far.
Every 20 years in the records: 869 in 1880 (#18), 883 in 1900 (#32), 7,444 in 1920 (#25), 27,690 in 1940 (#7), 85,929 in 1960 (#1), 41,891 in 1980 (#4), 19,787 in 2000 (#16) and 8,263 in 2020 (#28).
Highs and lows
The most boys given the name in a single year was 86,306, in 1955. Its best rank in any year was #1, first reached in 1960.
Every year
The table lists every year from 1880 to 2025 in which Social Security recorded at least 5 boys named David, with the name’s rank that year.
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 869 | #18 |
| 1881 | 750 | #18 |
| 1882 | 838 | #19 |
| 1883 | 734 | #20 |
| 1884 | 761 | #21 |
| 1885 | 712 | #22 |
| 1886 | 674 | #24 |
| 1887 | 673 | #22 |
| 1888 | 801 | #21 |
| 1889 | 757 | #22 |
| 1890 | 731 | #26 |
| 1891 | 673 | #26 |
| 1892 | 813 | #24 |
| 1893 | 724 | #27 |
| 1894 | 729 | #29 |
| 1895 | 707 | #32 |
| 1896 | 765 | #28 |
| 1897 | 730 | #29 |
| 1898 | 815 | #30 |
| 1899 | 646 | #32 |
| 1900 | 883 | #32 |
| 1901 | 672 | #30 |
| 1902 | 761 | #30 |
| 1903 | 716 | #33 |
| 1904 | 817 | #31 |
| 1905 | 838 | #32 |
| 1906 | 878 | #31 |
| 1907 | 945 | #31 |
| 1908 | 1,015 | #30 |
| 1909 | 1,094 | #29 |
| 1910 | 1,258 | #30 |
| 1911 | 1,556 | #27 |
| 1912 | 2,858 | #29 |
| 1913 | 3,282 | #29 |
| 1914 | 4,251 | #29 |
| 1915 | 5,394 | #31 |
| 1916 | 5,812 | #28 |
| 1917 | 6,099 | #28 |
| 1918 | 6,627 | #28 |
| 1919 | 6,716 | #27 |
| 1920 | 7,444 | #25 |
| 1921 | 7,765 | #25 |
| 1922 | 7,865 | #24 |
| 1923 | 8,230 | #24 |
| 1924 | 8,758 | #24 |
| 1925 | 8,915 | #22 |
| 1926 | 9,041 | #22 |
| 1927 | 9,426 | #21 |
| 1928 | 9,990 | #19 |
| 1929 | 11,302 | #17 |
| 1930 | 12,275 | #15 |
| 1931 | 11,784 | #13 |
| 1932 | 12,139 | #12 |
| 1933 | 12,026 | #13 |
| 1934 | 14,003 | #12 |
| 1935 | 15,663 | #11 |
| 1936 | 17,476 | #10 |
| 1937 | 20,981 | #8 |
| 1938 | 22,994 | #8 |
| 1939 | 25,360 | #7 |
| 1940 | 27,690 | #7 |
| 1941 | 30,553 | #7 |
| 1942 | 35,905 | #6 |
| 1943 | 37,240 | #6 |
| 1944 | 37,382 | #6 |
| 1945 | 37,110 | #6 |
| 1946 | 46,444 | #6 |
| 1947 | 57,810 | #6 |
| 1948 | 56,627 | #5 |
| 1949 | 59,611 | #6 |
| 1950 | 60,729 | #5 |
| 1951 | 64,788 | #5 |
| 1952 | 71,752 | #5 |
| 1953 | 76,119 | #5 |
| 1954 | 79,556 | #5 |
| 1955 | 86,306 | #2 |
| 1956 | 81,652 | #4 |
| 1957 | 82,403 | #3 |
| 1958 | 82,681 | #2 |
| 1959 | 83,977 | #2 |
| 1960 | 85,929 | #1 |
| 1961 | 84,810 | #2 |
| 1962 | 81,337 | #2 |
| 1963 | 78,444 | #3 |
| 1964 | 75,043 | #3 |
| 1965 | 67,825 | #3 |
| 1966 | 66,408 | #2 |
| 1967 | 66,806 | #2 |
| 1968 | 63,679 | #2 |
| 1969 | 63,672 | #2 |
| 1970 | 61,728 | #3 |
| 1971 | 53,113 | #3 |
| 1972 | 46,322 | #4 |
| 1973 | 41,082 | #5 |
| 1974 | 41,786 | #4 |
| 1975 | 39,156 | #5 |
| 1976 | 39,265 | #4 |
| 1977 | 40,515 | #4 |
| 1978 | 40,684 | #4 |
| 1979 | 42,053 | #4 |
| 1980 | 41,891 | #4 |
| 1981 | 40,629 | #5 |
| 1982 | 40,453 | #5 |
| 1983 | 39,201 | #4 |
| 1984 | 38,492 | #5 |
| 1985 | 38,522 | #6 |
| 1986 | 37,150 | #5 |
| 1987 | 36,795 | #5 |
| 1988 | 35,329 | #6 |
| 1989 | 35,225 | #5 |
| 1990 | 33,748 | #6 |
| 1991 | 30,416 | #8 |
| 1992 | 28,425 | #10 |
| 1993 | 27,038 | #11 |
| 1994 | 24,877 | #13 |
| 1995 | 23,045 | #16 |
| 1996 | 23,022 | #13 |
| 1997 | 21,896 | #14 |
| 1998 | 20,892 | #13 |
| 1999 | 20,352 | #16 |
| 2000 | 19,787 | #16 |
| 2001 | 19,362 | #12 |
| 2002 | 18,704 | #13 |
| 2003 | 18,641 | #14 |
| 2004 | 18,412 | #14 |
| 2005 | 18,144 | #12 |
| 2006 | 17,671 | #13 |
| 2007 | 17,573 | #12 |
| 2008 | 16,347 | #14 |
| 2009 | 15,457 | #14 |
| 2010 | 14,222 | #15 |
| 2011 | 13,258 | #18 |
| 2012 | 12,565 | #20 |
| 2013 | 12,400 | #17 |
| 2014 | 12,259 | #17 |
| 2015 | 11,838 | #18 |
| 2016 | 11,153 | #19 |
| 2017 | 10,244 | #22 |
| 2018 | 9,812 | #22 |
| 2019 | 8,989 | #27 |
| 2020 | 8,263 | #28 |
| 2021 | 7,940 | #30 |
| 2022 | 7,829 | #31 |
| 2023 | 7,420 | #27 |
| 2024 | 7,369 | #31 |
| 2025 | 6,794 | #35 |
How these numbers are counted
Social Security publishes, for every year since 1880, how many babies of each sex were given each name, counting any name given to at least 5. A name’s rank is its place that year among names for the same sex, by number of babies. Names with the same count share a rank here, while Social Security’s own lists break ties alphabetically, so a rank can differ from theirs by a place or two. A name’s share is the number of babies given it divided by all babies of that sex in the data that year, and its peak is the year that share was highest. Shares rather than counts set the peak, because far more babies were born in some years than others: counting babies alone would pull nearly every name’s peak toward the 1946–1964 baby boom.
Source: the U.S. Social Security Administration’s national baby name data, from Social Security card applications for babies born in the U.S. A name is left out of a year when fewer than 5 babies of one sex got it, and counts before about 1937 are incomplete, because many people born then never applied for a card. See how Baby Boom builds its data. Figures may contain errors.