Boys' name · peaked in 1985
Ryan name popularity since 1925
991,628 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Ryan (2.8% girls, 97.2% boys). Half of them were born in 1991 or earlier, so the typical Ryan is about 35 years old in 2026. Ryan peaked in 1985 as the #12 name for boys, and it ranked #99 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 991,628
- Named Ryan, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #99
- for boys in 2025 (3,532 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 97.2% boys
- 27,624 girls · 964,004 boys
- Most popular in
- New Hampshire
- 1.94× its national share
Peak year is the year Ryan 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.
Ryan births per year, 1925–2025
1985 was the biggest year for Ryan both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1970 and 1975, Ryan became 7.8× more common, from 1 in 800 baby boys to 1 in 102.
- Steepest fall: Between 2017 and 2022, its share of baby boys fell by 39%, from 1 in 240 to 1 in 397.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Ryan's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Ryan.
Decade by decade
Babies named Ryan 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 | 0 | 57 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 134 | #2,375 |
| 1940s | 0 | 500 | #1,118 |
| 1950s | 7 | 1,961 | #554 |
| 1960s | 78 | 11,322 | #221 |
| 1970s | 2,136 | 139,635 | #23 |
| 1980s | 6,178 | 278,938 | #12 |
| 1990s | 3,997 | 241,248 | #15 |
| 2000s | 5,903 | 173,244 | #14 |
| 2010s | 6,265 | 91,006 | #39 |
| 2020–25 | 3,060 | 25,959 | #99 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
44.6% of babies named Ryan from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Millennial years (1981–1996). The full split by generation:
Where Ryan is most popular
The index compares Ryan'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 Ryan.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | 1.94× | 6,082 |
| Alaska | 1.69× | 2,513 |
| Nevada | 1.59× | 5,658 |
| Hawaii | 1.54× | 4,805 |
| Delaware | 1.53× | 3,174 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Ryan 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Ryan (this page) | 964,004 | 1985 |
| Rian | 5,624 | 2021 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Ryan's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Ryan.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Ryan (1985).
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