Mostly boys · peaked in 1881
Ira name popularity since 1925
44,353 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Ira (11.8% girls, 88.2% boys). Half of them were born in 1954 or earlier, so the typical Ira is about 72 years old in 2026. Ira peaked in 1881 as the #57 name for boys, and it ranked #822 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 44,353
- Named Ira, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1881
- #57 for boys that year
- In 2025
- #822
- for boys in 2025 (301 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 88.2% boys
- 5,231 girls · 39,122 boys
- Most popular in
- Mississippi
- 2.73× its national share
Peak year is the year Ira 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.
Ira births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year on this chart was 1947. Measured as a share of all babies, Ira peaked earlier, in 1881.
- Steepest fall: Between 1980 and 1985, Ira's share of baby boys fell by 45%, from 1 in 6,330 to 1 in 11,500.
- Fastest rise: Between 2011 and 2016, it became 2× more common, from 1 in 17,300 baby boys to 1 in 8,710.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Ira's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Ira.
Decade by decade
Babies named Ira 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 | 444 | 3,747 | – |
| 1930s | 657 | 5,838 | #216 |
| 1940s | 657 | 7,156 | #212 |
| 1950s | 553 | 7,026 | #274 |
| 1960s | 318 | 4,412 | #385 |
| 1970s | 191 | 3,107 | #443 |
| 1980s | 151 | 2,098 | #693 |
| 1990s | 96 | 1,184 | #1,064 |
| 2000s | 131 | 1,070 | #1,519 |
| 2010s | 980 | 1,806 | #1,021 |
| 2020–25 | 1,053 | 1,678 | #822 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
31.2% of babies named Ira from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Baby Boom years (1946–1964). The full split by generation:
Where Ira is most popular
The index compares Ira'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 Ira.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | 2.73× | 1,234 |
| New York | 2.45× | 6,951 |
| West Virginia | 2.29× | 754 |
| Arkansas | 2.22× | 854 |
| Alabama | 1.73× | 1,145 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Ira's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Ira.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Ira (1881).
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