boys' name ★ peaked 2019

Declan

Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #139 Trend ↓ Falling 26%

From Old Irish Declán, whence the modern Irish equivalent Deaglán.

Rank 2025
#139
among boys · ↓7 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
2,587
named Declan · -7% vs 2024
How common
1 in 665
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2019
4,007 babies
All-time total
58,950
#456 all-time among boys
First recorded
1951
in Social Security records

Declan popularity over time

58,950 babies have been named Declan since 1951, 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
0.631.251.882.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – 27 27 3 – #3,585
1960s – 70 70 7 +159% #2,715
1970s – 53 53 5 -24% #2,933
1980s – 145 145 15 +174% #2,076
1990s – 1,135 1,135 114 +683% #569
2000s 12 7,268 7,280 728 +541% #309
2010s 229 31,107 31,336 3,134 +330% #95
2020s (to 2025) 162 18,742 18,904 3,151 +1% #102

Where Declan 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 2,450 1.43 #147
2027 2,352 1.38 #158
2028 2,272 1.33 #161
2029 2,206 1.29 #167
2030 2,152 1.26 #170

Where Declan is most popular

Boys named Declan per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 1.75 per 1,000. Strongest in Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire.

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 Declan 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
Vermont 42 6.69 +282%
Maine 105 5.41 +209%
New Hampshire 119 5.36 +206%
Wyoming 28 4.84 +176%
Montana 85 4.82 +175%
Delaware 68 4.48 +156%
Idaho 173 4.23 +141%
Rhode Island 61 3.74 +113%
Alaska 44 3.69 +111%
Massachusetts 502 3.65 +108%
Pennsylvania 892 3.36 +92%
North Dakota 56 3.28 +87%
South Dakota 60 3.22 +84%
Connecticut 209 3.09 +76%
Nebraska 131 3.01 +72%
West Virginia 94 2.88 +64%
Kansas 196 2.86 +63%
Wisconsin 336 2.84 +62%
Colorado 366 2.84 +62%
Iowa 193 2.80 +60%
District of Columbia 41 2.78 +58%
Virginia 523 2.76 +57%
Oregon 208 2.74 +56%
Minnesota 334 2.72 +55%
Ohio 699 2.64 +50%
Missouri 335 2.42 +38%
Indiana 382 2.38 +36%
Utah 227 2.38 +36%
Michigan 478 2.33 +33%
Washington 381 2.33 +33%
New Jersey 468 2.32 +33%
North Carolina 587 2.30 +31%
Illinois 585 2.29 +31%
South Carolina 234 2.26 +29%
Maryland 269 2.26 +29%
Tennessee 386 2.14 +22%
Kentucky 211 2.10 +20%
Oklahoma 184 2.08 +19%
New York 878 2.03 +16%
Arkansas 118 1.86 +6%
Nevada 98 1.72 ≈ national
Alabama 174 1.59 -9%
Arizona 257 1.57 -10%
Florida 734 1.55 -12%
Louisiana 154 1.51 -14%
Hawaii 23 1.48 -16%
Mississippi 84 1.48 -16%
Georgia 343 1.35 -23%
New Mexico 41 1.24 -29%
Texas 952 1.08 -38%
California 978 1.07 -39%

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 Declan

Declan is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #139 in 2025 with 2,570 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1951, 58,950 American babies have been named Declan. Its peak came in 2019, when 4,007 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 Declan stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Declan?

The median living Declan is about 8 years old; half are between 4 and 13. An estimated 58 thousand people named Declan are alive in the United States today.

median 8 020406080100

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

Declan 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 17 #6,606 2,570 #139
2024 14 #7,688 2,765 #132
2023 30 #4,588 2,814 #132
2022 30 #4,615 3,345 #114
2021 40 #3,755 3,647 #106
2020 31 #4,377 3,601 #102
2019 36 #4,031 3,971 #95
2018 30 #4,588 3,812 #101
2017 40 #3,792 3,470 #115
2016 28 #4,889 3,623 #109
2015 21 #6,086 3,587 #112
2014 16 #7,402 3,321 #123
2013 22 #5,870 3,116 #121
2012 18 #6,942 2,781 #143
2011 13 #8,755 2,169 #176
2010 5 #17,684 1,257 #274
2009 – – 1,046 #309
2008 – – 942 #347
2007 – – 923 #348
2006 6 #15,616 817 #367
2005 – – 842 #353
2004 – – 606 #431
2003 – – 611 #423
2002 – – 562 #441
2001 6 #13,976 531 #454
2000 – – 388 #545
1995 – – 92 #1,208
1990 – – 37 #2,022
1985 – – 15 #3,105
1980 – – 6 #5,689
1975 – – 8 #4,040
1970 – – 11 #2,933
1965 – – 7 #3,312
1960 – – 7 #3,417
1955 – – 6 #3,585
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Declan

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

  1. 1 Declan McKenna Declan McKenna English singer-songwriter (born 1998) Contemporary
  2. 2 Declan John Declan John Welsh footballer (born 1995) Contemporary
  3. 3 Declan Galbraith Declan Galbraith English musician (born 1991) Contemporary
  4. 4 Declan Rudd Declan Rudd English footballer b. 1991 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Declan?

The median living Declan is about 8 years old. Half of all living Declans are between 4 and 13 years old.

How many people named Declan are alive today?

An estimated 58 thousand people named Declan are alive in the United States, based on 58,950 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Declan mean?

From Old Irish Declán, whence the modern Irish equivalent Deaglán.

How popular is the name Declan in 2025?

Declan ranked #139 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 2,570 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Declan?

58,950 babies have been named Declan in the United States since 1951, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Declan most popular?

Declan peaked in 2019, when 4,007 newborns received the name.

Is Declan a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Declan rising or falling?

Declan has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Declan become more popular?

Declan is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 2,152 boys named Declan in 2030, which would rank around #170. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Declan?

Well-known people named Declan include Declan McKenna (singer), Declan John (soccer player), Declan Galbraith (singer).

Names like Declan

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

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