Popularity of the name George, 1880–2025
George was at its most popular in 1880, when 5,126 boys were given the name: about 1 in 22 boys born in the U.S. that year, ranking #5. In 2025, 2,848 boys were named George, ranking #126. In all, Social Security counts 1,487,297 boys named George since 1880. Social Security’s records also list 9,963 girls named George. Its peak falls in the earliest years of the records, and counts from before about 1937 are incomplete, because many people born then never applied for a Social Security card.
- Peak year
- 1880
- Rank in 1880
- #5
- Babies in 1880
- 5,126
- Rank in 2025
- #126
- Total since 1880
- 1,487,297
Where it stands now
In the past decade the name climbed from #135 in 2015 to #126 in 2025: 3,053 boys got it in 2015, and 2,848 in 2025.
Decade by decade
Its best decade was the 1880s, when 47,651 boys were named George, #4 for the decade. In the 2020s so far it ranks #134.
Every 20 years in the records: 5,126 in 1880 (#5), 5,403 in 1900 (#4), 26,891 in 1920 (#6), 18,315 in 1940 (#11), 14,063 in 1960 (#33), 5,300 in 1980 (#60), 3,037 in 2000 (#130) and 2,775 in 2020 (#132).
Highs and lows
The most boys given the name in a single year was 27,476, in 1921. That is not its peak year: Social Security’s records hold more boys for 1921 than for 1880, so the name’s share of births was smaller. Its best rank in any year was #4, first reached in 1881.
Every year
The table lists every year from 1880 to 2025 in which Social Security recorded at least 5 boys named George, with the name’s rank that year.
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 5,126 | #5 |
| 1881 | 4,664 | #4 |
| 1882 | 5,193 | #4 |
| 1883 | 4,736 | #5 |
| 1884 | 4,961 | #4 |
| 1885 | 4,674 | #4 |
| 1886 | 4,671 | #4 |
| 1887 | 4,284 | #4 |
| 1888 | 4,912 | #4 |
| 1889 | 4,430 | #4 |
| 1890 | 4,458 | #4 |
| 1891 | 3,931 | #4 |
| 1892 | 4,760 | #4 |
| 1893 | 4,320 | #4 |
| 1894 | 4,365 | #4 |
| 1895 | 4,289 | #4 |
| 1896 | 4,286 | #4 |
| 1897 | 4,078 | #4 |
| 1898 | 4,853 | #4 |
| 1899 | 4,018 | #4 |
| 1900 | 5,403 | #4 |
| 1901 | 3,609 | #4 |
| 1902 | 4,223 | #4 |
| 1903 | 3,961 | #4 |
| 1904 | 4,219 | #4 |
| 1905 | 4,256 | #4 |
| 1906 | 4,201 | #4 |
| 1907 | 4,445 | #4 |
| 1908 | 4,584 | #4 |
| 1909 | 4,688 | #4 |
| 1910 | 5,441 | #5 |
| 1911 | 6,586 | #4 |
| 1912 | 11,734 | #6 |
| 1913 | 13,874 | #6 |
| 1914 | 17,602 | #6 |
| 1915 | 22,307 | #6 |
| 1916 | 23,381 | #7 |
| 1917 | 24,196 | #6 |
| 1918 | 26,318 | #6 |
| 1919 | 25,170 | #6 |
| 1920 | 26,891 | #6 |
| 1921 | 27,476 | #6 |
| 1922 | 27,350 | #6 |
| 1923 | 27,025 | #6 |
| 1924 | 27,373 | #6 |
| 1925 | 26,560 | #6 |
| 1926 | 25,910 | #6 |
| 1927 | 25,949 | #7 |
| 1928 | 24,391 | #8 |
| 1929 | 23,020 | #8 |
| 1930 | 22,788 | #8 |
| 1931 | 20,685 | #8 |
| 1932 | 20,439 | #8 |
| 1933 | 18,356 | #8 |
| 1934 | 18,500 | #8 |
| 1935 | 18,564 | #8 |
| 1936 | 18,197 | #9 |
| 1937 | 18,439 | #10 |
| 1938 | 18,435 | #11 |
| 1939 | 17,886 | #11 |
| 1940 | 18,315 | #11 |
| 1941 | 19,260 | #13 |
| 1942 | 21,275 | #14 |
| 1943 | 21,692 | #14 |
| 1944 | 20,419 | #14 |
| 1945 | 19,327 | #15 |
| 1946 | 21,575 | #16 |
| 1947 | 23,916 | #16 |
| 1948 | 21,926 | #16 |
| 1949 | 21,308 | #18 |
| 1950 | 20,183 | #20 |
| 1951 | 20,212 | #22 |
| 1952 | 19,821 | #22 |
| 1953 | 19,176 | #22 |
| 1954 | 18,704 | #24 |
| 1955 | 18,167 | #26 |
| 1956 | 17,232 | #27 |
| 1957 | 16,887 | #29 |
| 1958 | 15,637 | #31 |
| 1959 | 15,012 | #32 |
| 1960 | 14,063 | #33 |
| 1961 | 13,644 | #31 |
| 1962 | 12,544 | #32 |
| 1963 | 12,079 | #34 |
| 1964 | 11,792 | #33 |
| 1965 | 10,680 | #34 |
| 1966 | 9,941 | #37 |
| 1967 | 9,699 | #36 |
| 1968 | 9,382 | #36 |
| 1969 | 9,199 | #38 |
| 1970 | 8,911 | #40 |
| 1971 | 8,226 | #42 |
| 1972 | 7,167 | #44 |
| 1973 | 6,601 | #46 |
| 1974 | 6,283 | #49 |
| 1975 | 5,847 | #53 |
| 1976 | 5,556 | #53 |
| 1977 | 5,606 | #57 |
| 1978 | 5,297 | #58 |
| 1979 | 5,263 | #57 |
| 1980 | 5,300 | #60 |
| 1981 | 5,157 | #61 |
| 1982 | 4,990 | #62 |
| 1983 | 4,495 | #65 |
| 1984 | 4,265 | #68 |
| 1985 | 4,259 | #72 |
| 1986 | 4,348 | #74 |
| 1987 | 4,089 | #77 |
| 1988 | 4,296 | #78 |
| 1989 | 4,513 | #79 |
| 1990 | 4,567 | #79 |
| 1991 | 4,179 | #87 |
| 1992 | 3,894 | #95 |
| 1993 | 3,513 | #104 |
| 1994 | 3,317 | #110 |
| 1995 | 3,286 | #115 |
| 1996 | 3,228 | #118 |
| 1997 | 3,177 | #121 |
| 1998 | 3,044 | #125 |
| 1999 | 3,041 | #123 |
| 2000 | 3,037 | #130 |
| 2001 | 3,088 | #129 |
| 2002 | 3,018 | #131 |
| 2003 | 2,910 | #138 |
| 2004 | 2,735 | #146 |
| 2005 | 2,823 | #139 |
| 2006 | 2,701 | #153 |
| 2007 | 2,760 | #148 |
| 2008 | 2,553 | #155 |
| 2009 | 2,381 | #163 |
| 2010 | 2,374 | #165 |
| 2011 | 2,318 | #165 |
| 2012 | 2,334 | #166 |
| 2013 | 2,559 | #157 |
| 2014 | 3,007 | #135 |
| 2015 | 3,053 | #135 |
| 2016 | 3,313 | #126 |
| 2017 | 3,169 | #124 |
| 2018 | 3,083 | #127 |
| 2019 | 3,197 | #120 |
| 2020 | 2,775 | #132 |
| 2021 | 2,799 | #134 |
| 2022 | 2,640 | #142 |
| 2023 | 2,697 | #136 |
| 2024 | 2,902 | #123 |
| 2025 | 2,848 | #126 |
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.