boys' name ★ peaked 1961

Tony

Meaning A male given name, a short form of Anthony/Antony Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #784 Trend ↓ Falling 29%

A male given name, a short form of Anthony/Antony

Rank 2025
#784
among boys · ↑25 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
325
named Tony · +4% vs 2024
How common
1 in 5,256
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1961
8,368 babies
All-time total
254,483
#153 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Tony popularity over time

254,483 babies have been named Tony 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
1.252.53.75518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 6 401 407 41 – #233
1890s 10 475 485 49 +19% #222
1900s 14 1,020 1,034 103 +113% #160
1910s 70 7,495 7,565 757 +632% #130
1920s 257 10,398 10,655 1,066 +41% #134
1930s 200 9,163 9,363 936 -12% #140
1940s 217 16,960 17,177 1,718 +83% #125
1950s 336 40,782 41,118 4,112 +139% #53
1960s 606 70,577 71,183 7,118 +73% #48
1970s 600 35,676 36,276 3,628 -49% #57
1980s 335 24,500 24,835 2,484 -32% #108
1990s 157 16,141 16,298 1,630 -34% #147
2000s 65 9,850 9,915 992 -39% #281
2010s 15 6,031 6,046 605 -39% #383
2020s (to 2025) – 2,126 2,126 354 -41% #630

Where Tony 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 309 0.18 outside top 500
2027 295 0.17 outside top 500
2028 284 0.17 outside top 500
2029 275 0.16 outside top 500
2030 268 0.16 outside top 500

Where Tony is most popular

Boys named Tony per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.197 per 1,000. Strongest in Alabama, Louisiana, and Georgia.

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 Tony 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
Alabama 42 0.384 +95%
Louisiana 35 0.342 +74%
Georgia 77 0.304 +55%
North Carolina 77 0.302 +53%
Maryland 34 0.285 +45%
Tennessee 49 0.271 +38%
California 248 0.271 +38%
Texas 234 0.266 +35%
Illinois 65 0.254 +29%
Florida 116 0.245 +25%
Michigan 46 0.225 +14%
Indiana 36 0.225 +14%
Arizona 34 0.208 +6%
Ohio 54 0.204 ≈ national
Arkansas 12 0.190 ≈ national
Washington 30 0.183 -7%
South Carolina 18 0.174 -11%
Virginia 32 0.169 -14%
Missouri 23 0.166 -16%
Wisconsin 19 0.160 -18%
New York 55 0.127 -35%
Nevada 7 0.123 -38%
New Jersey 23 0.114 -42%
Mississippi 6 0.106 -46%
Pennsylvania 25 0.094 -52%
Kansas 6 0.087 -56%
Colorado 10 0.077 -61%
Oregon 5 0.066 -67%
Oklahoma 5 0.057 -71%
Utah 5 0.052 -73%
Kentucky 5 0.050 -75%
Minnesota 6 0.049 -75%
Massachusetts 6 0.044 -78%
Alaska – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
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 Tony

Tony is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #784 in 2025 with 325 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 254,483 American babies have been named Tony. Its peak came in 1961, when 8,368 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 Tony stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Tony?

The median living Tony is about 57 years old; half are between 42 and 64. An estimated 192 thousand people named Tony are alive in the United States today.

median 57 020406080100

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

Tony 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 – – 325 #784
2024 – – 313 #809
2023 – – 290 #842
2022 – – 379 #699
2021 – – 392 #679
2020 – – 427 #630
2019 5 #17,767 467 #593
2018 5 #17,933 471 #583
2017 – – 520 #544
2016 – – 567 #522
2015 – – 581 #500
2014 – – 666 #448
2013 – – 664 #435
2012 – – 653 #428
2011 – – 691 #409
2010 5 #19,624 751 #383
2009 – – 805 #378
2008 5 #20,255 886 #354
2007 10 #11,560 1,002 #320
2006 6 #16,994 985 #328
2005 7 #14,415 1,030 #318
2004 8 #12,692 959 #321
2003 12 #9,015 1,000 #302
2002 – – 1,072 #281
2001 10 #10,061 1,025 #291
2000 7 #13,059 1,086 #283
1995 11 #8,045 1,556 #196
1990 25 #4,114 2,183 #147
1985 31 #3,003 2,525 #114
1980 38 #2,532 2,727 #108
1975 54 #1,755 3,322 #80
1970 78 #1,353 5,480 #57
1965 67 #1,349 6,815 #48
1960 59 #1,442 7,999 #52
1955 37 #1,730 3,752 #93
1950 20 #2,247 1,757 #149
1945 23 #1,791 1,639 #129
1940 16 #2,099 1,233 #142
1935 28 #1,415 882 #162
1930 28 #1,495 912 #163
1925 26 #1,698 977 #158
1920 23 #1,809 1,146 #136
1915 7 #3,764 1,016 #130
1910 – – 212 #151
1905 – – 86 #204
1900 – – 101 #194
1895 – – 43 #271
1890 5 #1,515 39 #278
1885 – – 33 #295
1880 – – 42 #261

Famous people named Tony

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

  1. 1 Tony Blair Tony Blair Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 b. 1953 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Tony Curtis Tony Curtis American actor (1925–2010) Contemporary
  3. 3 Tony Goldwyn Actor, United States b. 1960 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Tony Shalhoub Tony Shalhoub American actor (born 1953) Contemporary
  5. 5 Tony Sirico Actor, United States b. 1942 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Tony Hawk Skater, United States b. 1968 · Contemporary
  7. 7 Tony Robbins Tony Robbins American motivational speaker (born 1960) Contemporary
  8. 8 Tony Scott Tony Scott English filmmaker (1944–2012) Contemporary
  9. 9 Tony Lip Tony Lip American actor (1930–2013) Contemporary
  10. 10 Tony Iommi Tony Iommi British rock guitarist (born 1948) Contemporary
  11. 11 Tony Leung Chiu-wai Actor, Hong Kong b. 1962 · Contemporary
  12. 12 Tony Richardson English theatre director and filmmaker (1928–1991) Contemporary
  13. 13 Tony Randall Actor, United States 1920–2004 · Contemporary
  14. 14 Tony Jaa Actor, Thailand b. 1976 · Contemporary
  15. 15 Tony Leung Ka-fai Actor, Hong Kong b. 1958 · Contemporary
  16. 16 Tony Levin Tony Levin American bassist (born 1946) Contemporary
  17. 17 Tony Burton American boxer and actor (1937–2016) Contemporary
  18. 18 Tony Hoare Computer scientist, Sri Lanka b. 1934 · Contemporary
  19. 19 Tony Allen Tony Allen Nigerian musician (1940–2020) Contemporary
  20. 20 Tony Tan Tony Tan President of Singapore from 2011 to 2017 b. 1940 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Tony?

The median living Tony is about 57 years old. Half of all living Tonys are between 42 and 64 years old.

How many people named Tony are alive today?

An estimated 192 thousand people named Tony are alive in the United States, based on 254,483 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Tony mean?

A male given name, a short form of Anthony/Antony

How popular is the name Tony in 2025?

Tony ranked #784 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 325 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Tony?

254,483 babies have been named Tony in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Tony most popular?

Tony peaked in 1961, when 8,368 newborns received the name.

Is Tony a boy or girl name?

Tony is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Tony rising or falling?

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

Will Tony become more popular?

Tony is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 268 boys named Tony 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 Tony?

Well-known people named Tony include Tony Blair (politician), Tony Curtis (actor), Tony Goldwyn (actor).

Names like Tony

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

Compare Tony with similar names → More names starting with T →