boys' name ★ peaked 2006

Diego

Meaning Notable people with the given name Diego include: Gender Boy Rank 2025 #158 Trend ↓ Falling 10%

Notable people with the given name Diego include:

Rank 2025
#158
among boys · ↓13 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
2,356
named Diego · -6% vs 2024
How common
1 in 727
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2006
8,423 babies
All-time total
126,405
#267 all-time among boys
First recorded
1887
in Social Security records

Diego popularity over time

126,405 babies have been named Diego since 1887, 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
1.252.53.75518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 5 5 1 – #965
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – 5 5 1 – #1,166
1910s – 112 112 11 +2140% #1,229
1920s – 197 197 20 +76% #1,388
1930s – 188 188 19 -5% #1,370
1940s – 224 224 22 +19% #1,300
1950s – 350 350 35 +56% #964
1960s – 633 633 63 +81% #823
1970s – 1,244 1,244 124 +97% #685
1980s 10 3,902 3,912 391 +214% #316
1990s 63 13,459 13,522 1,352 +246% #149
2000s 115 56,041 56,156 5,616 +315% #56
2010s 46 33,386 33,432 3,343 -40% #86
2020s (to 2025) 11 16,414 16,425 2,738 -18% #124

Where Diego 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 2,309 1.35 #160
2027 2,273 1.33 #161
2028 2,243 1.31 #162
2029 2,218 1.30 #166
2030 2,197 1.29 #168

Where Diego is most popular

Boys named Diego per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 1.56 per 1,000. Strongest in New Mexico, District of Columbia, and Texas.

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 Diego 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
New Mexico 140 4.25 +172%
District of Columbia 52 3.52 +125%
Texas 2,908 3.30 +111%
California 3,015 3.30 +111%
Arizona 498 3.04 +95%
Nevada 161 2.82 +81%
Maryland 262 2.20 +41%
Colorado 280 2.17 +39%
Florida 1,010 2.13 +36%
Illinois 486 1.90 +22%
Oregon 141 1.86 +19%
Washington 274 1.67 +7%
Nebraska 68 1.56 ≈ national
Virginia 294 1.55 ≈ national
Kansas 106 1.55 ≈ national
New Jersey 309 1.53 ≈ national
Delaware 23 1.52 ≈ national
North Carolina 358 1.40 -10%
Georgia 345 1.36 -13%
Oklahoma 115 1.30 -17%
Alabama 135 1.23 -21%
Arkansas 77 1.22 -22%
Idaho 47 1.15 -27%
Utah 109 1.14 -27%
South Carolina 117 1.13 -28%
Indiana 180 1.12 -28%
Massachusetts 154 1.12 -28%
Tennessee 201 1.11 -29%
New York 470 1.09 -31%
Iowa 73 1.06 -32%
Louisiana 98 0.958 -39%
Rhode Island 15 0.920 -41%
Wisconsin 105 0.886 -43%
Minnesota 107 0.872 -44%
Connecticut 59 0.872 -44%
Kentucky 80 0.797 -49%
Mississippi 38 0.669 -57%
Ohio 167 0.630 -60%
Michigan 122 0.596 -62%
Hawaii 9 0.580 -63%
Pennsylvania 148 0.557 -64%
Missouri 66 0.476 -70%
South Dakota 5 0.269 -83%
Alaska – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
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 Diego

Diego is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #158 in 2025 with 2,351 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1887, 126,405 American babies have been named Diego. Its peak came in 2006, when 8,423 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 Diego stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Diego?

The median living Diego is about 18 years old; half are between 10 and 22. An estimated 124 thousand people named Diego 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.

Diego 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 5 #15,525 2,351 #158
2024 – – 2,511 #145
2023 6 #13,889 2,747 #135
2022 – – 2,970 #124
2021 – – 2,925 #126
2020 – – 2,910 #126
2019 5 #16,177 2,990 #129
2018 6 #14,272 2,884 #135
2017 7 #13,082 3,102 #129
2016 7 #13,289 3,201 #130
2015 9 #11,147 3,237 #125
2014 5 #17,255 3,171 #129
2013 – – 2,921 #130
2012 – – 3,337 #110
2011 7 #13,744 3,824 #99
2010 – – 4,719 #86
2009 8 #12,756 5,414 #76
2008 7 #14,249 6,572 #69
2007 20 #6,631 8,216 #58
2006 20 #6,430 8,403 #56
2005 10 #10,346 6,942 #62
2004 19 #6,301 5,876 #73
2003 13 #8,126 5,121 #83
2002 8 #11,417 3,979 #98
2001 10 #9,577 2,833 #139
2000 – – 2,685 #147
1995 7 #10,828 1,298 #228
1990 6 #11,797 830 #307
1985 – – 343 #467
1980 – – 193 #629
1975 – – 145 #685
1970 – – 103 #802
1965 – – 67 #902
1960 – – 45 #1,168
1955 – – 33 #1,318
1950 – – 31 #1,297
1945 – – 15 #1,800
1940 – – 14 #1,920
1935 – – 24 #1,397
1930 – – 15 #1,991
1925 – – 14 #2,219
1920 – – 14 #2,248
1915 – – 10 #2,490
1910 – – 8 #1,229
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Diego

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

  1. 1 Diego Maradona Diego Maradona Argentine football player and manager (1960–2020) Contemporary
  2. 2 Diego Simeone Diego Simeone Argentine football manager (born 1970) Contemporary
  3. 3 Diego Luna Diego Luna Mexican actor and filmmaker (born 1979) Contemporary
  4. 4 Diego Forlán Diego Forlán Uruguayan footballer and manager (born 1979) Contemporary
  5. 5 Diego Rivera Diego Rivera Mexican muralist (1886–1957) 19th century
  6. 6 Diego Klattenhoff Diego Klattenhoff Canadian actor (born 1979) Contemporary
  7. 7 Diego Velázquez Diego Velázquez Spanish painter (1599–1660) 16th century
  8. 8 Diego Milito Diego Milito Argentine footballer (born 1979) Contemporary
  9. 9 Diego Godín Diego Godín Uruguayan footballer (born 1986) Contemporary
  10. 10 Diego Diego Brazilian footballer b. 1985 · Contemporary
  11. 11 Diego Columbus Diego Columbus Spanish explorer and son of Christopher Columbus (1479/80–1526) Medieval
  12. 12 Diego Lugano Diego Lugano Uruguayan footballer (born 1980) Contemporary
  13. 13 Diego Tristán Diego Tristán Spanish footballer (born 1976) Contemporary
  14. 14 Diego de Almagro Diego de Almagro Spanish conquistador (1475–1538) Medieval
  15. 15 Diego Placente Diego Placente Argentine footballer (born 1977) Contemporary
  16. 16 Diego de Landa Diego de Landa Spanish Catholic bishop in colonial Mexico (1524–1579) 16th century
  17. 17 Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar Spanish conquistador; 1st colonial governor of Cuba (1511–24) 1465–1524 · Medieval
  18. 18 Diego Alves Diego Alves Brazilian footballer (born 1985) Contemporary
  19. 19 Diego Benaglio Diego Benaglio Swiss footballer (born 1983) Contemporary
  20. 20 Diego, Prince of Asturias Diego, Prince of Asturias Spanish and Portuguese prince 1575–1582 · 16th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Diego?

The median living Diego is about 18 years old. Half of all living Diegos are between 10 and 22 years old.

How many people named Diego are alive today?

An estimated 124 thousand people named Diego are alive in the United States, based on 126,405 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Diego mean?

Notable people with the given name Diego include:

How popular is the name Diego in 2025?

Diego ranked #158 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 2,351 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Diego?

126,405 babies have been named Diego in the United States since 1887, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Diego most popular?

Diego peaked in 2006, when 8,423 newborns received the name.

Is Diego a boy or girl name?

Diego is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Diego rising or falling?

Diego has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Diego become more popular?

Diego is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 2,197 boys named Diego in 2030, which would rank around #168. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Diego?

Well-known people named Diego include Diego Maradona (soccer player), Diego Simeone (coach), Diego Luna (actor).

Names like Diego

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

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