boys' name ★ peaked 2016

Langston

Meaning long, tall Gender Boy · 5% girls Rank 2025 #1,000 Trend ↓ Falling 30%

From Old English lang (“long, tall”) + stan (“stone”).

Rank 2025
#1,000
among boys · ↓90 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
234
named Langston · -11% vs 2024
How common
1 in 7,525
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2016
425 babies
All-time total
7,664
#1,437 all-time among boys
First recorded
1912
in Social Security records

Langston popularity over time

7,664 babies have been named Langston since 1912, 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
0.060.130.190.2518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 55 55 6 – #1,747
1920s – 78 78 8 +42% #2,257
1930s – 87 87 9 +12% #1,798
1940s – 135 135 14 +55% #1,714
1950s – 94 94 9 -30% #2,070
1960s – 92 92 9 -2% #2,083
1970s – 145 145 15 +58% #1,854
1980s – 226 226 23 +56% #1,918
1990s – 562 562 56 +149% #1,471
2000s 74 1,134 1,208 121 +115% #1,027
2010s 225 2,936 3,161 316 +162% #652
2020s (to 2025) 46 1,775 1,821 304 -4% #694

Where Langston 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 215 0.13 outside top 500
2027 204 0.12 outside top 500
2028 196 0.11 outside top 500
2029 190 0.11 outside top 500
2030 184 0.11 outside top 500

Where Langston is most popular

Boys named Langston per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.163 per 1,000. Strongest in District of Columbia, Oklahoma, and Alabama.

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 Langston 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
District of Columbia 12 0.813 +399%
Oklahoma 57 0.644 +295%
Alabama 58 0.531 +225%
Tennessee 89 0.493 +202%
South Carolina 49 0.474 +191%
Mississippi 26 0.458 +181%
Missouri 57 0.411 +152%
Louisiana 42 0.411 +152%
Georgia 104 0.411 +152%
Arkansas 24 0.379 +133%
Kentucky 33 0.329 +102%
North Carolina 81 0.317 +95%
Virginia 58 0.306 +88%
Maryland 34 0.285 +75%
Kansas 17 0.248 +52%
Indiana 38 0.237 +45%
Ohio 62 0.234 +44%
Florida 61 0.129 -21%
Texas 113 0.128 -21%
Illinois 30 0.117 -28%
New York 44 0.102 -38%
Minnesota 11 0.090 -45%
Nevada 5 0.088 -46%
Pennsylvania 23 0.087 -47%
California 70 0.077 -53%
Michigan 13 0.063 -61%
Colorado 6 0.046 -71%
Washington 7 0.043 -74%
Wisconsin 5 0.042 -74%
New Jersey 5 0.025 -85%
Alaska – – –
Arizona – – –
Connecticut – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
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 Langston

Langston is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,000 in 2025 with 227 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1912, 7,664 American babies have been named Langston. Its peak came in 2016, when 425 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 Langston stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Langston?

The median living Langston is about 10 years old; half are between 6 and 18. An estimated 7,300 people named Langston are alive in the United States today.

median 10 020406080100

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

Langston 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 7 #12,609 227 #1,000
2024 6 #14,470 257 #910
2023 9 #10,798 261 #892
2022 9 #10,854 320 #789
2021 6 #14,471 343 #743
2020 9 #10,753 367 #694
2019 12 #8,874 379 #679
2018 16 #7,272 359 #682
2017 16 #7,272 375 #677
2016 20 #6,308 405 #652
2015 19 #6,608 365 #689
2014 24 #5,559 317 #748
2013 34 #4,298 209 #958
2012 24 #5,646 170 #1,099
2011 31 #4,632 177 #1,065
2010 29 #4,920 180 #1,078
2009 30 #4,883 172 #1,080
2008 26 #5,515 187 #1,027
2007 12 #9,894 142 #1,240
2006 6 #16,247 98 #1,531
2005 – – 111 #1,357
2004 – – 86 #1,545
2003 – – 96 #1,396
2002 – – 88 #1,454
2001 – – 82 #1,493
2000 – – 72 #1,632
1995 – – 66 #1,471
1990 – – 40 #1,924
1985 – – 16 #3,024
1980 – – 17 #2,797
1975 – – 9 #3,806
1970 – – 12 #2,809
1965 – – 10 #2,706
1960 – – 16 #2,083
1955 – – 11 #2,501
1950 – – 9 #2,680
1945 – – 15 #1,824
1940 – – 6 #3,305
1935 – – 16 #1,798
1930 – – 9 #2,898
1925 – – 9 #3,039
1920 – – 14 #2,287
1915 – – 5 #4,127
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Langston

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

  1. 1 Langston Hughes Langston Hughes American writer and social activist (1901–1967) 1902–1967 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Langston Galloway Langston Galloway American basketball player (born 1991) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Langston?

The median living Langston is about 10 years old. Half of all living Langstons are between 6 and 18 years old.

How many people named Langston are alive today?

An estimated 7,300 people named Langston are alive in the United States, based on 7,664 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Langston mean?

From Old English lang (“long, tall”) + stan (“stone”).

How popular is the name Langston in 2025?

Langston ranked #1,000 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 227 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Langston?

7,664 babies have been named Langston in the United States since 1912, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Langston most popular?

Langston peaked in 2016, when 425 newborns received the name.

Is Langston a boy or girl name?

Langston is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 95% of babies with the name.

Is the name Langston rising or falling?

Langston has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Langston become more popular?

Langston is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 184 boys named Langston 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 Langston?

Well-known people named Langston include Langston Hughes (writer), Langston Galloway (basketball player).

Names like Langston

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

Compare Langston with similar names → More names starting with L →