Boys' name · peaked in 1916
Stanley name popularity since 1925
233,407 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Stanley. Half of them were born in 1951 or earlier, so the typical Stanley is about 75 years old in 2026. Stanley peaked in 1916 as the #34 name for boys, and it ranked #863 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 233,407
- Named Stanley, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1916
- #34 for boys that year
- In 2025
- #863
- for boys in 2025 (278 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.5% boys
- 1,152 girls · 232,255 boys
- Most popular in
- Hawaii
- 3.15× its national share
Peak year is the year Stanley 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.
Stanley births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year on this chart was 1954. Measured as a share of all babies, Stanley peaked earlier, in 1916.
- Steepest fall: Between 1954 and 1959, Stanley's share of baby boys fell by 36%, from 1 in 316 to 1 in 491.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Stanley's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Stanley.
Decade by decade
Babies named Stanley 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 | 188 | 23,644 | – |
| 1930s | 191 | 37,130 | #56 |
| 1940s | 191 | 46,263 | #59 |
| 1950s | 202 | 57,164 | #64 |
| 1960s | 180 | 30,005 | #115 |
| 1970s | 108 | 13,214 | #194 |
| 1980s | 86 | 9,211 | #247 |
| 1990s | 6 | 6,124 | #406 |
| 2000s | 0 | 4,127 | #569 |
| 2010s | 0 | 3,541 | #692 |
| 2020–25 | 0 | 1,832 | #863 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
41.6% of babies named Stanley from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Baby Boom years (1946–1964). The full split by generation:
Where Stanley is most popular
The index compares Stanley'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 Stanley.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 3.15× | 2,288 |
| Vermont | 1.80× | 698 |
| District of Columbia | 1.71× | 1,834 |
| Maine | 1.54× | 1,528 |
| Pennsylvania | 1.53× | 18,100 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Stanley's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Stanley.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Stanley (1916).
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