Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1975

Sunshine

Gender Girl · 1% boys Rank 2025 #2,952 Trend → Stable
Rank 2025
#2,952
among girls · ↓295 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
57
named Sunshine · -14% vs 2024
How common
1 in 28,198
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1975
324 babies
All-time total
5,779
#2,347 all-time among girls
First recorded
1905
in Social Security records

Sunshine popularity over time

5,779 babies have been named Sunshine since 1905, 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
0.060.130.190.2518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

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 14 – 14 1 – #1,494
1910s 78 – 78 8 +457% #1,951
1920s 120 – 120 12 +54% #2,066
1930s 20 – 20 2 -83% #3,024
1940s – – – – – –
1950s 37 – 37 4 – #4,133
1960s 22 – 22 2 -41% #6,521
1970s 1,911 32 1,943 194 +8732% #534
1980s 1,110 5 1,115 112 -43% #707
1990s 552 – 552 55 -50% #1,897
2000s 835 – 835 84 +51% #1,801
2010s 619 – 619 62 -26% #2,456
2020s (to 2025) 416 8 424 71 +14% #2,374

Where Sunshine is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (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 girls Implied rank
2026 56 0.04 outside top 500
2027 56 0.03 outside top 500
2028 56 0.03 outside top 500
2029 55 0.03 outside top 500
2030 55 0.03 outside top 500

Where Sunshine is most popular

Girls named Sunshine per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.042 per 1,000. Strongest in California, Texas, and Michigan.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Sunshine 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 Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
California 53 0.063 +50%
Texas 34 0.042 ≈ national
Michigan 5 0.027 -35%
North Carolina 5 0.022 -48%
New York 5 0.013 -70%
Florida 5 0.012 -72%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
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 Sunshine

Sunshine is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #2,952 in 2025 with 57 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1905, 5,779 American babies have been named Sunshine. Its peak came in 1975, when 324 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1970s.

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

How old are people named Sunshine?

The median living Sunshine is about 40 years old; half are between 20 and 48. An estimated 5,400 people named Sunshine are alive in the United States today.

median 40 020406080100

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

Sunshine 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 57 #2,952 – –
2024 66 #2,657 – –
2023 77 #2,376 8 #9,631
2022 69 #2,576 – –
2021 72 #2,483 – –
2020 75 #2,374 – –
2019 65 #2,677 – –
2018 73 #2,456 – –
2017 56 #2,961 – –
2016 52 #3,181 – –
2015 58 #2,998 – –
2014 46 #3,480 – –
2013 63 #2,762 – –
2012 70 #2,595 – –
2011 62 #2,836 – –
2010 74 #2,513 – –
2009 68 #2,704 – –
2008 75 #2,532 – –
2007 88 #2,244 – –
2006 65 #2,755 – –
2005 109 #1,801 – –
2004 86 #2,114 – –
2003 78 #2,225 – –
2002 92 #1,931 – –
2001 78 #2,125 – –
2000 96 #1,814 – –
1995 51 #2,513 – –
1990 41 #2,846 – –
1985 85 #1,470 – –
1980 241 #707 – –
1975 324 #534 – –
1970 22 #3,096 – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 6 #5,752 – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 8 #3,989 – –
1920 15 #2,449 – –
1915 9 #3,107 – –
1910 – – – –
1905 5 #2,197 – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Sunshine?

The median living Sunshine is about 40 years old. Half of all living Sunshines are between 20 and 48 years old.

How many people named Sunshine are alive today?

An estimated 5,400 people named Sunshine are alive in the United States, based on 5,779 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Sunshine in 2025?

Sunshine ranked #2,952 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 57 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Sunshine?

5,779 babies have been named Sunshine in the United States since 1905, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Sunshine most popular?

Sunshine peaked in 1975, when 324 newborns received the name.

Is Sunshine a boy or girl name?

Sunshine is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Sunshine rising or falling?

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

Will Sunshine become more popular?

Sunshine looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 55 girls named Sunshine in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Sunshine

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

Compare Sunshine with similar names → More names starting with S →