Boys' name · peaked in 1997
Tanner name popularity since 1925
100,128 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Tanner (2.5% girls, 97.5% boys). Half of them were born in 2001 or earlier, so the typical Tanner is about 25 years old in 2026. Tanner peaked in 1997 as the #82 name for boys, and it ranked #475 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 100,128
- Named Tanner, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #475
- for boys in 2025 (641 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 97.5% boys
- 2,541 girls · 97,587 boys
- Most popular in
- Utah
- 4.35× its national share
Peak year is the year Tanner 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.
Tanner births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 1998. Measured as a share of all babies, Tanner peaked in 1997.
- Fastest rise: Between 1987 and 1992, Tanner became 4.7× more common, from 1 in 2,600 baby boys to 1 in 549.
- Steepest fall: Between 2013 and 2018, its share of baby boys fell by 42%, from 1 in 923 to 1 in 1,590.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Tanner's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Tanner.
Decade by decade
Babies named Tanner 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 | 5 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 7 | Under 5 |
| 1940s | 0 | 0 | Under 5 |
| 1950s | 0 | 8 | Under 5 |
| 1960s | 0 | 53 | Under 5 |
| 1970s | 11 | 817 | #1,256 |
| 1980s | 82 | 5,694 | #359 |
| 1990s | 875 | 37,392 | #86 |
| 2000s | 728 | 31,681 | #131 |
| 2010s | 560 | 17,185 | #224 |
| 2020–25 | 285 | 4,745 | #475 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000. "Under 5" means fewer than 5 boys got the name.
Generation fingerprint
53.2% of babies named Tanner from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Tanner is most popular
The index compares Tanner'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 Tanner.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Utah | 4.35× | 3,642 |
| Montana | 3.43× | 985 |
| Idaho | 3.40× | 1,329 |
| South Dakota | 3.19× | 999 |
| North Dakota | 3.03× | 940 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Tanner's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Tanner.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Tanner (1997).
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