Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 2024

Darling

Gender Girl · 1% boys Rank 2025 #3,301 Trend ↑ Rising 58%
Rank 2025
#3,301
among girls · ↑49 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
47
named Darling · -10% vs 2024
How common
1 in 34,197
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2024
52 babies
All-time total
1,060
#7,287 all-time among girls
First recorded
1920
in Social Security records

Darling popularity over time

1,060 babies have been named Darling since 1920, 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
0.010.020.030.0418801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 20 – 20 2 – #3,751
1930s 15 5 20 2 0% #4,327
1940s 35 – 35 4 +75% #3,002
1950s 56 – 56 6 +60% #3,473
1960s 69 – 69 7 +23% #4,145
1970s 32 – 32 3 -54% #6,632
1980s 105 – 105 11 +228% #4,991
1990s 121 – 121 12 +15% #5,733
2000s 152 – 152 15 +26% #6,385
2010s 228 5 233 23 +53% #4,803
2020s (to 2025) 212 5 217 36 +55% #3,301

Where Darling 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 51 0.03 outside top 500
2027 56 0.03 outside top 500
2028 59 0.04 outside top 500
2029 63 0.04 outside top 500
2030 66 0.04 outside top 500

The story of Darling

Darling is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #3,301 in 2025 with 47 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1920, 1,060 American babies have been named Darling. Its peak came in 2024, when 52 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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

How old are people named Darling?

The median living Darling is about 18 years old; half are between 6 and 37. An estimated 1,000 people named Darling 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.

Darling 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 47 #3,301 – –
2024 47 #3,350 5 #12,738
2023 33 #4,303 – –
2022 22 #5,681 – –
2021 28 #4,748 – –
2020 35 #4,030 – –
2019 27 #4,941 5 #12,587
2018 20 #6,079 – –
2017 25 #5,218 – –
2016 25 #5,325 – –
2015 22 #5,878 – –
2014 29 #4,803 – –
2013 24 #5,535 – –
2012 18 #6,940 – –
2011 21 #6,201 – –
2010 17 #7,293 – –
2009 17 #7,429 – –
2008 16 #7,840 – –
2007 21 #6,385 – –
2006 19 #6,652 – –
2005 12 #9,036 – –
2004 15 #7,489 – –
2003 12 #8,649 – –
2002 16 #6,787 – –
2001 11 #8,911 – –
2000 13 #7,687 – –
1995 16 #5,733 – –
1990 13 #6,553 – –
1985 8 #7,739 – –
1980 7 #8,356 – –
1975 8 #6,632 – –
1970 6 #7,257 – –
1965 10 #4,258 – –
1960 – – – –
1955 6 #5,335 – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 6 #4,546 – –
1920 7 #4,055 – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Darling?

The median living Darling is about 18 years old. Half of all living Darlings are between 6 and 37 years old.

How many people named Darling are alive today?

An estimated 1,000 people named Darling are alive in the United States, based on 1,060 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Darling in 2025?

Darling ranked #3,301 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 47 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Darling?

1,060 babies have been named Darling in the United States since 1920, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Darling most popular?

Darling peaked in 2024, when 52 newborns received the name.

Is Darling a boy or girl name?

Darling is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Darling rising or falling?

Darling is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Darling become more popular?

Darling is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 66 girls named Darling in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Darling

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

Compare Darling with similar names → More names starting with D →