Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 1961

Greg

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #4,761 Trend ↓ Falling 16%

A diminutive of the male given names Gregory and Gregor, from English or Scottish (sometimes derived from the surname Greig).

Rank 2025
#4,761
among boys · ↓284 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
21
named Greg · -9% vs 2024
How common
1 in 81,337
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1961
5,409 babies
All-time total
77,849
#375 all-time among boys
First recorded
1915
in Social Security records

Greg popularity over time

77,849 babies have been named Greg since 1915, 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
0.751.52.25318801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 7 7 1 – #3,207
1920s – 53 53 5 +657% #2,655
1930s – 242 242 24 +357% #821
1940s – 5,101 5,101 510 +2008% #171
1950s 16 18,229 18,245 1,825 +258% #91
1960s 75 36,438 36,513 3,651 +100% #77
1970s 42 11,435 11,477 1,148 -69% #154
1980s 10 3,598 3,608 361 -69% #336
1990s – 1,369 1,369 137 -62% #711
2000s – 736 736 74 -46% #1,487
2010s – 353 353 35 -52% #2,500
2020s (to 2025) – 145 145 24 -32% #3,323

Where Greg 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 20 0.01 outside top 500
2027 20 0.01 outside top 500
2028 20 0.01 outside top 500
2029 19 0.01 outside top 500
2030 19 0.01 outside top 500

The story of Greg

Greg is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #4,761 in 2025 with 21 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1915, 77,849 American babies have been named Greg. Its peak came in 1961, when 5,409 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

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

How old are people named Greg?

The median living Greg is about 62 years old; half are between 55 and 66. An estimated 64 thousand people named Greg are alive in the United States today.

median 62 020406080100

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

Greg 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 – – 21 #4,761
2024 – – 23 #4,477
2023 – – 20 #4,943
2022 – – 22 #4,608
2021 – – 35 #3,323
2020 – – 24 #4,190
2019 – – 28 #3,835
2018 – – 26 #4,032
2017 – – 26 #4,027
2016 – – 38 #3,083
2015 – – 34 #3,315
2014 – – 27 #3,829
2013 – – 49 #2,500
2012 – – 39 #2,977
2011 – – 45 #2,680
2010 – – 41 #2,889
2009 – – 55 #2,363
2008 – – 68 #2,045
2007 – – 60 #2,221
2006 – – 72 #1,881
2005 – – 91 #1,546
2004 – – 86 #1,543
2003 – – 73 #1,691
2002 – – 70 #1,686
2001 – – 82 #1,487
2000 – – 79 #1,524
1995 – – 129 #978
1990 – – 204 #711
1985 5 #11,240 332 #474
1980 – – 558 #336
1975 – – 952 #218
1970 9 #5,539 2,007 #154
1965 6 #6,051 3,181 #105
1960 5 #6,704 5,084 #83
1955 – – 1,166 #210
1950 – – 804 #228
1945 – – 355 #314
1940 – – 57 #831
1935 – – 19 #1,619
1930 – – 10 #2,667
1925 – – 11 #2,655
1920 – – 6 #4,009
1915 – – 7 #3,207
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Greg

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

  1. 1 Greg Abbott Greg Abbott Governor of Texas since 2015 b. 1957 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Greg Kinnear Greg Kinnear American actor (born 1963) Contemporary
  3. 3 Greg Wise Greg Wise English actor and producer (born 1966) Contemporary
  4. 4 Greg Vaughan Actor, United States b. 1973 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Greg Maddux Baseball player, United States b. 1966 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Greg Lake Greg Lake English musician (1947–2016) Contemporary
  7. 7 Greg Norman Golfer, Australia b. 1955 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Greg Oden Basketball player, United States b. 1988 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Greg Germann Greg Germann American actor (born 1958) Contemporary
  10. 10 Greg Louganis Greg Louganis American Olympic springboard and platform diver b. 1960 · Contemporary
  11. 11 Greg Grunberg Greg Grunberg American actor (born 1966) Contemporary
  12. 12 Greg Evigan Greg Evigan American actor (born 1953) Contemporary
  13. 13 Greg Sestero Greg Sestero American actor and model (born 1978) Contemporary
  14. 14 Greg Berlanti Greg Berlanti American television writer and producer (born 1972) Contemporary
  15. 15 Greg Valentine Wrestler, United States b. 1951 · Contemporary
  16. 16 Greg LeMond Greg LeMond American racing cyclist b. 1961 · Contemporary
  17. 17 Greg Ginn Greg Ginn American musician b. 1954 · Contemporary
  18. 18 Greg Graffin Greg Graffin American singer and academic b. 1964 · Contemporary
  19. 19 Greg Mottola Greg Mottola American film director, screenwriter & television director b. 1964 · Contemporary
  20. 20 Greg Kurstin Greg Kurstin American record producer and songwriter (b. 1969) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Greg?

The median living Greg is about 62 years old. Half of all living Gregs are between 55 and 66 years old.

How many people named Greg are alive today?

An estimated 64 thousand people named Greg are alive in the United States, based on 77,849 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Greg mean?

A diminutive of the male given names Gregory and Gregor, from English or Scottish (sometimes derived from the surname Greig).

How popular is the name Greg in 2025?

Greg ranked #4,761 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 21 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Greg?

77,849 babies have been named Greg in the United States since 1915, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Greg most popular?

Greg peaked in 1961, when 5,409 newborns received the name.

Is Greg a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Greg rising or falling?

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

Will Greg become more popular?

Greg is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 19 boys named Greg 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 Greg?

Well-known people named Greg include Greg Abbott (politician), Greg Kinnear (actor), Greg Wise (actor).

Names like Greg

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

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