Unisex name ★ peaked 1919

Golden

Gender Unisex · 44% girls Rank 2025 #2,583 Trend ↑ Rising 52%

Golden is a surname that can be of English, Jewish or Irish origin.

Rank 2025
#2,583
among boys · ↑98 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
96
named Golden · -1% vs 2024
How common
1 in 33,492
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1919
128 babies
All-time total
5,229
#2,573 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Golden popularity over time

5,229 babies have been named Golden 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
0.050.10.150.218801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 58 56 114 11 – #669
1890s 165 87 252 25 +121% #493
1900s 225 148 373 37 +48% #510
1910s 404 409 813 81 +118% #643
1920s 363 451 814 81 0% #925
1930s 156 284 440 44 -46% #1,132
1940s 110 189 299 30 -32% #1,500
1950s 67 174 241 24 -19% #1,330
1960s 54 90 144 14 -40% #1,762
1970s 41 150 191 19 +33% #1,963
1980s 85 126 211 21 +10% #2,472
1990s 27 95 122 12 -42% #3,712
2000s 82 121 203 20 +66% #4,655
2010s 198 259 457 46 +125% #2,823
2020s (to 2025) 257 298 555 93 +102% #2,156

Where Golden 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 54 0.03 outside top 500
2027 57 0.03 outside top 500
2028 60 0.04 outside top 500
2029 63 0.04 outside top 500
2030 65 0.04 outside top 500

Where Golden is most popular

Boys named Golden per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.030 per 1,000. Strongest in Georgia, Florida, and California.

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 Golden 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
Georgia 12 0.047 +57%
Florida 13 0.027 -9%
California 25 0.027 -9%
Illinois 6 0.023 -22%
North Carolina 5 0.020 -35%
Texas 16 0.018 -40%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
New York – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
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 Golden

Golden is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,583 in 2025 with 51 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 5,229 American babies have been named Golden, about 56% boys and 44% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1919, when 128 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1910s.

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

How old are people named Golden?

The median living Golden is about 21 years old; half are between 6 and 56. An estimated 2,300 people named Golden are alive in the United States today.

median 21 020406080100

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

Golden 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 45 #3,417 51 #2,583
2024 48 #3,304 49 #2,681
2023 54 #3,054 67 #2,156
2022 42 #3,668 45 #2,841
2021 36 #4,049 48 #2,667
2020 32 #4,295 38 #3,038
2019 37 #3,951 44 #2,823
2018 35 #4,103 31 #3,560
2017 34 #4,249 32 #3,474
2016 19 #6,509 17 #5,393
2015 17 #7,086 28 #3,813
2014 16 #7,429 25 #4,050
2013 13 #8,741 20 #4,684
2012 10 #10,700 23 #4,300
2011 8 #12,567 21 #4,557
2010 9 #11,595 18 #5,110
2009 7 #14,198 11 #7,375
2008 8 #13,012 11 #7,369
2007 15 #8,234 17 #5,280
2006 16 #7,613 12 #6,604
2005 15 #7,640 8 #8,551
2004 6 #14,788 17 #4,863
2003 – – 8 #8,108
2002 10 #9,755 10 #6,709
2001 5 #16,200 11 #6,168
2000 – – 16 #4,655
1995 – – 10 #5,647
1990 – – 10 #5,132
1985 9 #7,152 14 #3,274
1980 6 #9,482 20 #2,472
1975 8 #6,715 5 #5,777
1970 7 #6,574 11 #2,965
1965 5 #6,868 7 #3,362
1960 5 #6,701 11 #2,595
1955 5 #6,174 12 #2,355
1950 7 #4,470 15 #1,967
1945 7 #3,793 17 #1,652
1940 15 #2,144 15 #1,836
1935 18 #1,872 19 #1,616
1930 19 #1,898 38 #1,141
1925 31 #1,481 44 #1,049
1920 44 #1,143 51 #967
1915 47 #974 45 #931
1910 25 #864 21 #643
1905 23 #765 15 #622
1900 26 #711 13 #709
1895 16 #799 11 #652
1890 18 #624 9 #694
1885 9 #766 – –
1880 – – 7 #772

Famous people named Golden

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

  1. 1 Golden State Killer Golden State Killer American serial rapist and serial killer (born 1945) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Golden?

The median living Golden is about 21 years old. Half of all living Goldens are between 6 and 56 years old.

How many people named Golden are alive today?

An estimated 2,300 people named Golden are alive in the United States, based on 5,229 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Golden mean?

Golden is a surname that can be of English, Jewish or Irish origin.

How popular is the name Golden in 2025?

Golden ranked #2,583 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 51 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Golden?

5,229 babies have been named Golden in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Golden most popular?

Golden peaked in 1919, when 128 newborns received the name.

Is Golden a boy or girl name?

Golden is used for both: about 44% of babies named Golden have been girls and 56% boys.

Is the name Golden rising or falling?

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

Will Golden become more popular?

Golden is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 65 boys named Golden 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 Golden?

Well-known people named Golden include Golden State Killer (extremist).

Names like Golden

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

Compare Golden with similar names → More names starting with G →