Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 1954

Unknown

Gender Unisex · 50% girls Rank 2025 #2,757 Trend ↓ Falling 20%
Rank 2025
#2,757
among boys · ↑196 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
95
named Unknown · +17% vs 2024
How common
1 in 36,342
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1954
1,192 babies
All-time total
19,714
#1,215 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Unknown popularity over time

19,714 babies have been named Unknown 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
0.10.20.30.418801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 13 51 64 6 – #700
1890s 45 97 142 14 +122% #570
1900s 68 98 166 17 +17% #554
1910s 123 211 334 33 +101% #756
1920s 96 149 245 25 -27% #1,587
1930s 110 64 174 17 -29% #2,284
1940s 1,224 711 1,935 194 +1012% #402
1950s 4,723 4,206 8,929 893 +361% #308
1960s 507 762 1,269 127 -86% #564
1970s 150 196 346 35 -73% #1,295
1980s 398 443 841 84 +143% #610
1990s 1,146 1,296 2,442 244 +190% #588
2000s 356 413 769 77 -69% #1,470
2010s 592 790 1,382 138 +80% #1,597
2020s (to 2025) 275 401 676 113 -18% #1,838

Where Unknown 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 44 0.03 outside top 500
2027 42 0.02 outside top 500
2028 41 0.02 outside top 500
2029 39 0.02 outside top 500
2030 38 0.02 outside top 500

Where Unknown is most popular

Boys named Unknown per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.039 per 1,000. Strongest in Oregon, Michigan, and North Carolina.

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 Unknown 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
Oregon 147 1.94 +4820%
Michigan 39 0.190 +384%
North Carolina 44 0.172 +338%
Colorado 6 0.046 +18%
New York 6 0.014 -65%
California 11 0.012 -69%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Florida – – –
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 – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Texas – – –
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 Unknown

Unknown is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,757 in 2025 with 47 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 19,714 American babies have been named Unknown, about 50% boys and 50% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1954, when 1,192 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

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

How old are people named Unknown?

The median living Unknown is about 67 years old; half are between 32 and 72. An estimated 16 thousand people named Unknown are alive in the United States today.

median 67 020406080100

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

Unknown 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 48 #3,293 47 #2,757
2024 38 #3,956 43 #2,953
2023 46 #3,471 80 #1,951
2022 52 #3,162 85 #1,873
2021 49 #3,294 85 #1,838
2020 42 #3,603 61 #2,260
2019 53 #3,081 77 #1,933
2018 66 #2,644 85 #1,806
2017 47 #3,381 67 #2,089
2016 37 #4,075 50 #2,549
2015 43 #3,647 60 #2,251
2014 72 #2,516 79 #1,871
2013 68 #2,623 97 #1,603
2012 64 #2,767 99 #1,597
2011 77 #2,414 87 #1,716
2010 65 #2,751 89 #1,724
2009 84 #2,336 114 #1,470
2008 62 #2,885 73 #1,967
2007 31 #4,802 42 #2,863
2006 16 #7,851 25 #3,993
2005 25 #5,251 23 #4,052
2004 20 #6,204 24 #3,853
2003 30 #4,411 31 #3,112
2002 18 #6,378 27 #3,341
2001 28 #4,440 15 #5,132
2000 42 #3,267 39 #2,475
1995 223 #866 248 #667
1990 162 #1,092 192 #738
1985 – – 11 #4,035
1980 7 #9,062 9 #4,475
1975 21 #3,395 18 #2,447
1970 18 #3,569 42 #1,295
1965 29 #2,245 35 #1,316
1960 133 #925 194 #564
1955 564 #368 497 #332
1950 511 #348 404 #336
1945 54 #1,077 42 #993
1940 19 #1,894 6 #3,439
1935 12 #2,559 6 #3,617
1930 10 #3,036 13 #2,284
1925 6 #4,921 22 #1,675
1920 9 #3,571 18 #1,956
1915 19 #1,792 24 #1,406
1910 – – 13 #924
1905 11 #1,233 9 #916
1900 15 #1,005 16 #648
1895 – – 9 #790
1890 7 #1,195 5 #1,151
1885 – – 7 #830
1880 – – 5 #1,049

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Unknown?

The median living Unknown is about 67 years old. Half of all living Unknowns are between 32 and 72 years old.

How many people named Unknown are alive today?

An estimated 16 thousand people named Unknown are alive in the United States, based on 19,714 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Unknown in 2025?

Unknown ranked #2,757 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 47 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Unknown?

19,714 babies have been named Unknown in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Unknown most popular?

Unknown peaked in 1954, when 1,192 newborns received the name.

Is Unknown a boy or girl name?

Unknown is used for both: about 50% of babies named Unknown have been girls and 50% boys.

Is the name Unknown rising or falling?

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

Will Unknown become more popular?

Unknown is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 38 boys named Unknown in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Unknown

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

Compare Unknown with similar names → More names starting with U →