Boys' name · peaked in 2018
Nolan name popularity since 1925
133,876 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Nolan. Half of them were born in 2013 or earlier, so the typical Nolan is about 13 years old in 2026. Nolan peaked in 2018 as the #65 name for boys, and it ranked #65 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 133,876
- Named Nolan, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #65
- for boys in 2025 (4,846 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.6% boys
- 544 girls · 133,332 boys
- Most popular in
- Alaska
- 1.71× its national share
Peak year is the year Nolan 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.
Nolan births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 2015. Measured as a share of all babies, Nolan peaked in 2018.
- Fastest rise: Between 1987 and 1992, Nolan became 2.3× more common, from 1 in 3,890 baby boys to 1 in 1,710.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Nolan's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Nolan.
Decade by decade
Babies named Nolan 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 | 5 | 802 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 1,822 | #399 |
| 1940s | 5 | 2,003 | #450 |
| 1950s | 0 | 1,960 | #518 |
| 1960s | 0 | 1,494 | #704 |
| 1970s | 0 | 2,006 | #569 |
| 1980s | 31 | 4,678 | #379 |
| 1990s | 30 | 11,791 | #263 |
| 2000s | 93 | 26,374 | #149 |
| 2010s | 208 | 50,045 | #71 |
| 2020–25 | 172 | 30,357 | #65 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
51.1% of babies named Nolan from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Alpha years (2013–2025). The full split by generation:
Where Nolan is most popular
The index compares Nolan'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 Nolan.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 1.71× | 333 |
| Minnesota | 1.70× | 4,055 |
| New Hampshire | 1.70× | 699 |
| Colorado | 1.60× | 2,578 |
| Wisconsin | 1.56× | 4,028 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Nolan 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Nolan (this page) | 133,332 | 2018 |
| Nolen | 3,078 | 1892 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Nolan's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Nolan.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Nolan (2018).
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