Unisex name ★ peaked 2007

Cadence

Meaning A female given name from English Gender Unisex · 91% girls Rank 2025 #1,022 Trend ↓ Falling 51%

A female given name from English.

Rank 2025
#1,022
among girls · ↑14 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
321
named Cadence · -4% vs 2024
How common
1 in 6,560
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2007
1,788 babies
All-time total
24,555
#984 all-time among girls
First recorded
1974
in Social Security records

Cadence popularity over time

24,555 babies have been named Cadence since 1974, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s 41 – 41 4 – #5,398
1980s 110 – 110 11 +168% #4,509
1990s 353 76 429 43 +290% #2,409
2000s 10,591 673 11,264 1,126 +2526% #199
2010s 9,452 820 10,272 1,027 -9% #227
2020s (to 2025) 1,883 556 2,439 407 -60% #680

Where Cadence is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 218 0.14 outside top 500
2027 197 0.12 outside top 500
2028 181 0.11 outside top 500
2029 168 0.10 outside top 500
2030 158 0.10 outside top 500

Where Cadence is most popular

Girls named Cadence per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.181 per 1,000. Strongest in Alaska, Tennessee, and Virginia.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Cadence born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Alaska 5 0.581 +221%
Tennessee 64 0.404 +124%
Virginia 57 0.334 +85%
North Carolina 74 0.325 +80%
Georgia 69 0.304 +68%
Pennsylvania 68 0.288 +59%
Colorado 31 0.278 +54%
Maryland 29 0.274 +51%
South Carolina 24 0.267 +48%
Utah 22 0.264 +46%
Alabama 23 0.245 +36%
Wisconsin 22 0.214 +18%
Arkansas 11 0.208 +15%
Ohio 49 0.207 +14%
Illinois 45 0.197 +9%
Arizona 27 0.192 +6%
Kentucky 16 0.187 ≈ national
Idaho 6 0.179 ≈ national
New Jersey 32 0.177 ≈ national
Texas 136 0.169 -6%
Oregon 11 0.169 -7%
California 140 0.167 -8%
Michigan 30 0.165 -9%
Florida 69 0.161 -11%
Washington 23 0.159 -12%
New York 57 0.144 -20%
Missouri 17 0.141 -22%
Oklahoma 10 0.136 -25%
Mississippi 6 0.128 -29%
Indiana 18 0.128 -29%
Nevada 5 0.108 -40%
Massachusetts 11 0.091 -50%
Kansas 5 0.087 -52%
Connecticut 5 0.086 -52%
Iowa 5 0.086 -53%
Louisiana 7 0.080 -56%
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Cadence

Cadence is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,022 in 2025 with 245 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1974, 24,555 American babies have been named Cadence, about 91% girls and 9% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2007, when 1,788 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Cadence stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Cadence?

The median living Cadence is about 15 years old; half are between 10 and 19. An estimated 24 thousand people named Cadence are alive in the United States today.

median 15 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Cadence year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 245 #1,022 76 #1,994
2024 243 #1,036 91 #1,797
2023 275 #952 115 #1,530
2022 326 #856 75 #2,024
2021 377 #758 92 #1,752
2020 417 #680 107 #1,540
2019 557 #545 97 #1,661
2018 645 #488 87 #1,763
2017 752 #422 75 #1,922
2016 867 #379 77 #1,905
2015 967 #340 79 #1,855
2014 1,003 #335 77 #1,888
2013 1,037 #308 81 #1,782
2012 1,091 #291 73 #1,945
2011 1,151 #275 78 #1,824
2010 1,382 #227 96 #1,627
2009 1,460 #223 107 #1,539
2008 1,612 #212 74 #1,934
2007 1,707 #199 81 #1,795
2006 1,599 #214 87 #1,642
2005 1,670 #207 72 #1,807
2004 1,552 #218 79 #1,631
2003 620 #476 64 #1,849
2002 232 #958 50 #2,131
2001 77 #2,130 32 #2,870
2000 62 #2,459 27 #3,160
1995 30 #3,597 9 #5,987
1990 19 #4,891 – –
1985 11 #6,071 – –
1980 11 #5,965 – –
1975 6 #8,103 – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Cadence, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Cadence?

The median living Cadence is about 15 years old. Half of all living Cadences are between 10 and 19 years old.

How many people named Cadence are alive today?

An estimated 24 thousand people named Cadence are alive in the United States, based on 24,555 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Cadence mean?

A female given name from English.

How popular is the name Cadence in 2025?

Cadence ranked #1,022 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 245 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Cadence?

24,555 babies have been named Cadence in the United States since 1974, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Cadence most popular?

Cadence peaked in 2007, when 1,788 newborns received the name.

Is Cadence a boy or girl name?

Cadence is used for both: about 91% of babies named Cadence have been girls and 9% boys.

Is the name Cadence rising or falling?

Cadence is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Cadence become more popular?

Cadence is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 158 girls named Cadence in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Cadence

Names that sound and feel close to Cadence: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Cadence with similar names → More names starting with C →