boys' name ★ peaked 2010

Cullen

Meaning A male given name transferred from the surname Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #1,108 Trend ↓ Falling 50%

A male given name transferred from the surname.

Rank 2025
#1,108
among boys · ↑19 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
200
named Cullen · +6% vs 2024
How common
1 in 8,805
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2010
685 babies
All-time total
16,703
#915 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Cullen popularity over time

16,703 babies have been named Cullen since 1880, 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
0.10.20.30.418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

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 – 20 20 2 – #645
1890s – 29 29 3 +45% #881
1900s – 33 33 3 +14% #852
1910s – 243 243 24 +636% #996
1920s – 308 308 31 +27% #1,091
1930s – 226 226 23 -27% #1,252
1940s – 231 231 23 +2% #1,174
1950s – 250 250 25 +8% #1,281
1960s – 323 323 32 +29% #1,098
1970s 10 647 657 66 +103% #877
1980s 20 1,183 1,203 120 +83% #742
1990s 27 3,219 3,246 325 +170% #505
2000s 11 3,240 3,251 325 0% #485
2010s 38 5,067 5,105 511 +57% #413
2020s (to 2025) 6 1,572 1,578 263 -48% #688

Where Cullen is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (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 boys Implied rank
2026 173 0.10 outside top 500
2027 157 0.09 outside top 500
2028 145 0.08 outside top 500
2029 135 0.08 outside top 500
2030 128 0.07 outside top 500

Where Cullen is most popular

Boys named Cullen per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.139 per 1,000. Strongest in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Minnesota.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Cullen 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 Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Mississippi 44 0.774 +456%
Louisiana 71 0.694 +399%
Minnesota 54 0.440 +216%
Alabama 39 0.357 +156%
South Carolina 34 0.329 +136%
Maine 6 0.309 +122%
Tennessee 55 0.305 +119%
North Dakota 5 0.293 +110%
North Carolina 70 0.274 +97%
Massachusetts 34 0.247 +78%
Wisconsin 27 0.228 +64%
Georgia 45 0.178 +28%
Pennsylvania 43 0.162 +16%
Virginia 29 0.153 +10%
Iowa 10 0.145 ≈ national
Michigan 27 0.132 -5%
Texas 109 0.124 -11%
Kentucky 12 0.120 -14%
Maryland 13 0.109 -22%
New York 47 0.109 -22%
Ohio 28 0.106 -24%
Illinois 27 0.106 -24%
Colorado 13 0.101 -28%
Indiana 13 0.081 -42%
Florida 38 0.080 -42%
Washington 13 0.079 -43%
Arkansas 5 0.079 -43%
Missouri 6 0.043 -69%
California 37 0.040 -71%
New Jersey 6 0.030 -79%
Alaska – – –
Arizona – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Montana – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
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 Cullen

Cullen is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,108 in 2025 with 194 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 16,703 American babies have been named Cullen. Its peak came in 2010, when 685 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

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 Cullen stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Cullen?

The median living Cullen is about 18 years old; half are between 10 and 30. An estimated 15 thousand people named Cullen are alive in the United States today.

median 18 020406080100

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

Cullen 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 6 #13,590 194 #1,108
2024 – – 189 #1,127
2023 – – 219 #1,003
2022 – – 258 #901
2021 – – 342 #745
2020 – – 370 #688
2019 – – 411 #650
2018 – – 464 #590
2017 – – 556 #519
2016 – – 529 #546
2015 5 #17,045 492 #570
2014 5 #17,165 447 #604
2013 8 #12,256 447 #575
2012 8 #12,481 474 #549
2011 6 #15,263 568 #472
2010 6 #15,410 679 #413
2009 5 #17,944 562 #485
2008 – – 283 #782
2007 – – 286 #768
2006 – – 260 #792
2005 – – 278 #728
2004 – – 270 #710
2003 – – 284 #682
2002 – – 318 #619
2001 – – 336 #593
2000 6 #13,551 363 #567
1995 7 #10,761 400 #509
1990 – – 166 #787
1985 – – 100 #908
1980 – – 98 #906
1975 – – 58 #1,102
1970 – – 62 #1,035
1965 – – 21 #1,731
1960 – – 39 #1,253
1955 – – 28 #1,464
1950 – – 17 #1,832
1945 – – 19 #1,546
1940 – – 20 #1,529
1935 – – 28 #1,275
1930 – – 26 #1,437
1925 – – 37 #1,168
1920 – – 25 #1,512
1915 – – 35 #1,089
1910 – – 10 #1,059
1905 – – 9 #852
1900 – – – –
1895 – – 7 #898
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – 9 #645

Famous people named Cullen

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Cullen Jones Cullen Jones American swimmer b. 1984 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Cullen?

The median living Cullen is about 18 years old. Half of all living Cullens are between 10 and 30 years old.

How many people named Cullen are alive today?

An estimated 15 thousand people named Cullen are alive in the United States, based on 16,703 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Cullen mean?

A male given name transferred from the surname.

How popular is the name Cullen in 2025?

Cullen ranked #1,108 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 194 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Cullen?

16,703 babies have been named Cullen in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Cullen most popular?

Cullen peaked in 2010, when 685 newborns received the name.

Is Cullen a boy or girl name?

Cullen is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Cullen rising or falling?

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

Will Cullen become more popular?

Cullen is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 128 boys named Cullen in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Cullen?

Well-known people named Cullen include Cullen Jones (swimmer).

Names like Cullen

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

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