Boys' name · peaked in 1933
Franklin name popularity since 1925
124,491 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Franklin (0.6% girls, 99.4% boys). Half of them were born in 1956 or earlier, so the typical Franklin is about 70 years old in 2026. Franklin peaked in 1933 as the #33 name for boys, and it ranked #359 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 124,491
- Named Franklin, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1933
- #33 for boys that year
- In 2025
- #359
- for boys in 2025 (909 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.4% boys
- 714 girls · 123,777 boys
- Most popular in
- West Virginia
- 3.76× its national share
Peak year is the year Franklin made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Franklin births per year, 1925–2025
1933 was the biggest year for Franklin both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1928 and 1933, Franklin became 5.4× more common.
- Steepest fall: Between 1933 and 1938, its share of baby boys fell by 67%.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Franklin's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Franklin.
Decade by decade
Babies named Franklin in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 50 | 5,843 | – |
| 1930s | 138 | 26,381 | #71 |
| 1940s | 92 | 19,312 | #119 |
| 1950s | 84 | 17,007 | #163 |
| 1960s | 98 | 13,892 | #185 |
| 1970s | 72 | 9,352 | #238 |
| 1980s | 71 | 8,224 | #264 |
| 1990s | 25 | 7,121 | #363 |
| 2000s | 5 | 5,487 | #451 |
| 2010s | 36 | 6,317 | #445 |
| 2020–25 | 43 | 4,841 | #359 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
33.3% of babies named Franklin from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Silent Generation years (1928–1945). The full split by generation:
Where Franklin is most popular
The index compares Franklin's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Franklin.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| West Virginia | 3.76× | 4,048 |
| South Carolina | 2.75× | 4,709 |
| Virginia | 1.99× | 5,493 |
| North Carolina | 1.91× | 6,618 |
| Alabama | 1.81× | 3,923 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Franklin and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Franklin (this page) | 123,777 | 1933 |
| Franklyn | 5,030 | 1933 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Franklin's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Franklin.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Franklin (1933).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data