boys' name ★ peaked 2025

West

Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #1,255 Trend ↑ Rising 55%
Rank 2025
#1,255
among boys · ↑76 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
167
named West · +9% vs 2024
How common
1 in 10,743
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
167 babies
All-time total
3,720
#2,219 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

West popularity over time

3,720 babies have been named West 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
0.050.10.150.218801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 128 128 13 – #396
1890s – 111 111 11 -13% #541
1900s – 112 112 11 +1% #680
1910s – 224 224 22 +100% #706
1920s – 254 254 25 +13% #1,225
1930s – 165 165 17 -35% #1,634
1940s – 153 153 15 -7% #1,444
1950s – 171 171 17 +12% #1,700
1960s – 151 151 15 -12% #1,893
1970s – 148 148 15 -2% #1,845
1980s – 166 166 17 +12% #2,203
1990s – 173 173 17 +4% #3,105
2000s – 311 311 31 +80% #2,229
2010s 5 733 738 74 +137% #1,657
2020s (to 2025) 23 692 715 119 +61% #1,255

Where West 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 172 0.10 outside top 500
2027 184 0.11 outside top 500
2028 195 0.11 outside top 500
2029 205 0.12 outside top 500
2030 213 0.12 outside top 500

Where West is most popular

Boys named West per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.071 per 1,000. Strongest in Utah, California, and Arizona.

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 West 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
Utah 26 0.272 +285%
California 143 0.156 +121%
Arizona 16 0.098 +38%
Nevada 5 0.088 +24%
Texas 75 0.085 +20%
Washington 13 0.079 +12%
Arkansas 5 0.079 +12%
Oregon 5 0.066 -7%
Georgia 11 0.043 -39%
North Carolina 10 0.039 -45%
Tennessee 7 0.039 -45%
Indiana 5 0.031 -56%
New York 12 0.028 -61%
Florida 12 0.025 -64%
Pennsylvania 5 0.019 -73%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
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 West

West is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,255 in 2025 with 159 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 3,720 American babies have been named West. Its peak came in 2025, when 167 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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

How old are people named West?

The median living West is about 13 years old; half are between 5 and 36. An estimated 2,600 people named West are alive in the United States today.

median 13 020406080100

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

West 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 8 #11,866 159 #1,255
2024 8 #12,085 145 #1,331
2023 – – 87 #1,850
2022 7 #13,493 130 #1,420
2021 – – 90 #1,783
2020 – – 81 #1,847
2019 5 #17,850 98 #1,657
2018 – – 82 #1,853
2017 – – 80 #1,859
2016 – – 72 #2,008
2015 – – 76 #1,930
2014 – – 60 #2,254
2013 – – 78 #1,850
2012 – – 74 #1,940
2011 – – 61 #2,172
2010 – – 52 #2,426
2009 – – 60 #2,229
2008 – – 42 #2,876
2007 – – 40 #2,971
2006 – – 42 #2,783
2005 – – 25 #3,810
2004 – – 29 #3,366
2003 – – 18 #4,606
2002 – – 10 #7,021
2001 – – 28 #3,223
2000 – – 17 #4,564
1995 – – 14 #4,501
1990 – – 17 #3,601
1985 – – 22 #2,424
1980 – – 16 #2,960
1975 – – 7 #4,789
1970 – – 24 #1,845
1965 – – 15 #2,174
1960 – – 14 #2,312
1955 – – 16 #2,045
1950 – – 15 #2,018
1945 – – 22 #1,444
1940 – – 11 #2,316
1935 – – 16 #1,833
1930 – – 18 #1,816
1925 – – 29 #1,389
1920 – – 29 #1,380
1915 – – 21 #1,550
1910 – – 19 #706
1905 – – 13 #697
1900 – – 13 #738
1895 – – 11 #681
1890 – – 13 #564
1885 – – 10 #638
1880 – – 13 #523

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average West?

The median living West is about 13 years old. Half of all living Wests are between 5 and 36 years old.

How many people named West are alive today?

An estimated 2,600 people named West are alive in the United States, based on 3,720 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name West in 2025?

West ranked #1,255 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 159 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named West?

3,720 babies have been named West in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name West most popular?

West peaked in 2025, when 167 newborns received the name.

Is West a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name West rising or falling?

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

Will West become more popular?

West is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 213 boys named West in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like West

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

Compare West with similar names → More names starting with W →