Unisex name ★ peaked 1947

Ira

Meaning ira), from a word meaning Gender Unisex · 11% girls Rank 2025 #822 Trend ↑ Rising 10%

From a Hebrew name עִירָא ('ira), from a word meaning "watchful".

Rank 2025
#822
among boys · ↑150 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
523
named Ira · +35% vs 2024
How common
1 in 5,675
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1947
968 babies
All-time total
62,535
#470 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Ira popularity over time

62,535 babies have been named Ira 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
0.751.52.25318801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 172 2,379 2,551 255 – #57
1890s 255 1,916 2,171 217 -15% #82
1900s 359 1,714 2,073 207 -5% #107
1910s 652 6,115 6,767 677 +226% #138
1920s 900 7,911 8,811 881 +30% #166
1930s 657 5,838 6,495 650 -26% #194
1940s 657 7,156 7,813 781 +20% #204
1950s 553 7,026 7,579 758 -3% #231
1960s 318 4,412 4,730 473 -38% #318
1970s 191 3,107 3,298 330 -30% #425
1980s 151 2,098 2,249 225 -32% #506
1990s 96 1,184 1,280 128 -43% #838
2000s 131 1,070 1,201 120 -6% #1,087
2010s 980 1,806 2,786 279 +132% #873
2020s (to 2025) 1,053 1,678 2,731 455 +63% #803

Where Ira 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 308 0.18 outside top 500
2027 314 0.18 outside top 500
2028 320 0.19 outside top 500
2029 324 0.19 outside top 500
2030 328 0.19 outside top 500

Where Ira is most popular

Boys named Ira per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.161 per 1,000. Strongest in Vermont, Oregon, and Utah.

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 Ira 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 6 0.955 +494%
Oregon 39 0.514 +219%
Utah 42 0.440 +174%
Alaska 5 0.420 +161%
Minnesota 45 0.367 +128%
Idaho 15 0.367 +128%
Indiana 48 0.299 +86%
Nebraska 13 0.299 +86%
Missouri 41 0.296 +84%
Wisconsin 35 0.295 +84%
Montana 5 0.284 +76%
South Dakota 5 0.269 +67%
Ohio 71 0.268 +67%
Colorado 33 0.256 +59%
Oklahoma 22 0.249 +55%
Washington 38 0.232 +44%
Michigan 47 0.229 +43%
New Hampshire 5 0.225 +40%
Kentucky 22 0.219 +36%
Pennsylvania 58 0.218 +36%
North Carolina 48 0.188 +17%
Virginia 35 0.184 +15%
West Virginia 6 0.184 +14%
Tennessee 24 0.133 -17%
Arizona 21 0.128 -20%
Georgia 29 0.114 -29%
California 104 0.114 -29%
Illinois 29 0.113 -29%
Texas 95 0.108 -33%
South Carolina 11 0.106 -34%
New York 46 0.106 -34%
Arkansas 6 0.095 -41%
Iowa 6 0.087 -46%
Kansas 5 0.073 -55%
Massachusetts 10 0.073 -55%
Florida 34 0.072 -55%
Louisiana 5 0.049 -70%
Alabama 5 0.046 -72%
Maryland 5 0.042 -74%
New Jersey 6 0.030 -81%
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
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 Ira

Ira is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #822 in 2025 with 301 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 62,535 American babies have been named Ira, about 89% boys and 11% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1947, when 968 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1940s.

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

How old are people named Ira?

The median living Ira is about 58 years old; half are between 28 and 73. An estimated 28 thousand people named Ira are alive in the United States today.

median 58 020406080100

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

Ira 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 222 #1,086 301 #822
2024 154 #1,438 233 #972
2023 161 #1,399 266 #880
2022 196 #1,231 288 #846
2021 168 #1,331 301 #810
2020 152 #1,435 289 #803
2019 157 #1,426 252 #873
2018 147 #1,491 216 #961
2017 128 #1,679 214 #968
2016 125 #1,708 218 #952
2015 97 #2,031 199 #1,021
2014 104 #1,930 160 #1,170
2013 78 #2,353 156 #1,156
2012 60 #2,880 150 #1,197
2011 46 #3,471 110 #1,478
2010 38 #3,990 131 #1,313
2009 25 #5,608 127 #1,355
2008 16 #7,884 98 #1,604
2007 17 #7,520 111 #1,451
2006 18 #6,976 102 #1,494
2005 11 #9,705 94 #1,519
2004 12 #8,907 107 #1,360
2003 13 #8,177 105 #1,320
2002 9 #10,547 137 #1,087
2001 10 #9,652 88 #1,419
2000 – – 101 #1,284
1995 9 #9,037 112 #1,064
1990 14 #6,250 151 #838
1985 9 #7,168 161 #693
1980 17 #4,394 282 #506
1975 16 #4,008 322 #443
1970 21 #3,147 349 #437
1965 25 #2,428 408 #385
1960 33 #1,995 599 #318
1955 51 #1,413 680 #274
1950 58 #1,216 797 #231
1945 68 #921 658 #212
1940 68 #864 625 #205
1935 70 #816 550 #216
1930 80 #788 702 #199
1925 93 #769 788 #183
1920 81 #809 829 #170
1915 75 #764 812 #146
1910 45 #633 233 #138
1905 43 #520 169 #128
1900 50 #480 218 #107
1895 23 #649 207 #95
1890 17 #653 209 #82
1885 14 #590 235 #75
1880 16 #426 249 #66

Famous people named Ira

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

  1. 1 Ira Levin Ira Levin American novelist, playwright, and songwriter (1929–2007) Contemporary
  2. 2 Ira Gershwin Ira Gershwin American lyricist (1896–1983) 19th century
  3. 3 Ira Sachs Ira Sachs American filmmaker (born 1965) Contemporary
  4. 4 Ira Losco Ira Losco Maltese singer and songwriter (born 1981) Contemporary
  5. 5 Ira Sprague Bowen Ira Sprague Bowen American physicist and astronomer (1898–1973) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Ira?

The median living Ira is about 58 years old. Half of all living Iras are between 28 and 73 years old.

How many people named Ira are alive today?

An estimated 28 thousand people named Ira are alive in the United States, based on 62,535 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Ira mean?

From a Hebrew name עִירָא ('ira), from a word meaning "watchful".

How popular is the name Ira in 2025?

Ira ranked #822 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 301 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Ira?

62,535 babies have been named Ira in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Ira most popular?

Ira peaked in 1947, when 968 newborns received the name.

Is Ira a boy or girl name?

Ira is used for both: about 11% of babies named Ira have been girls and 89% boys.

Is the name Ira rising or falling?

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

Will Ira become more popular?

Ira is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 328 boys named Ira 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 Ira?

Well-known people named Ira include Ira Levin (writer), Ira Gershwin (musician), Ira Sachs (film director).

Names like Ira

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

Compare Ira with similar names → More names starting with I →