Meaning not yet researched.
Gary: US boys given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 201 in 2025. Its best rank was #9 in 1954.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #9 in 1954; #1,073 in 2025. Every baby recorded as Gary in 2025 was a boy.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#1,073 for US boys in 2025. Its best year was 1954, at #9.
Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for any year. Years with fewer than five babies of a sex are not published by SSA and show as zero.
Gary: US boys given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 201 boys in 2025. Peak: #9 in 1954 · most boys in one year: 38,754 (1952).
In 2025, 201 US boys were named Gary, making it the 1,073rd most common boys’ name of the year, up 60 places from #1,133 in 2024. That is 14 more than the 187 boys named Gary in 2024. Its best rank for boys was #9, reached in 1954. The most boys given the name in a single year was 38,754, in 1952. For comparison, it was #581 in 2015 and #10 in 1950.
Social Security card records list Gary in 144 years of the 146 from 1880 to 2025, starting in 1880 with 6 babies. In all, 905,438 US babies have been given the name, 0.4% of them girls and 99.6% boys. Its busiest decade was the 1950s, with 330,690 babies named Gary.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 2,897 US boys were named Gary; the busiest of those years was 2016, with 444. In 2025 that was about 1 in 8,498 of the boys in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, Gary ranked highest in Missouri in 2025, at #537 for boys there. It was not in the top 100 of any state. Related spellings in the SSA files include Harry (425,883 babies since 1880) and Garry (47,849 babies since 1880). Rarer spellings such as Garey, Gery and Gari are summarised on this page.
Meaning not yet researched.
We publish a meaning only with a cited source and a confidence label, and never generate one. Meanings are being researched for the most common names first.
Rare spellings summarised here: Garey (1,457), Gery (758), Gari (643), Gauri (594), Gar (219), Jary (72), Garie (44), Garrey (22), Garri (5).
Numbers are all-time US births. Links come from Wikidata’s “said to be the same as” (P460, CC0) and our spelling rule: at most two letters different, with the same sound pattern.
No nicknames listed for Gary in the open dataset we use.
Gary is listed as a nickname for Gareth, Garrett.
Source: carltonnorthern/nicknames (Apache-2.0).
US boys. Rank within each state. SSA leaves out states where fewer than five boys got the name, so 34 are not listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 11 | #537 | #472 |
| Minnesota | 5 | #850 | #741 |
| Michigan | 8 | #864 | #412 |
| Tennessee | 7 | #870 | #410 |
| Florida | 15 | #928 | #661 |
| Pennsylvania | 8 | #946 | #396 |
| Ohio | 8 | #969 | #498 |
| Indiana | 5 | #993 | #684 |
| Washington | 5 | #1,056 | #652 |
| Illinois | 7 | #1,062 | #922 |
| New Jersey | 5 | #1,084 | #599 |
| California | 18 | #1,129 | #665 |
| Virginia | 5 | #1,142 | #375 |
| Texas | 18 | #1,184 | #687 |
| New York | 9 | #1,236 | #429 |
| North Carolina | 5 | #1,339 | #728 |
| Georgia | 5 | #1,413 | #600 |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | — | 201 | #1,073 |
| 2024 | — | — | 187 | #1,133 |
| 2023 | — | — | 203 | #1,067 |
| 2022 | — | — | 237 | #956 |
| 2021 | — | — | 253 | #908 |
| 2020 | — | — | 288 | #807 |
| 2019 | — | — | 303 | #774 |
| 2018 | — | — | 374 | #671 |
| 2017 | — | — | 407 | #637 |
| 2016 | — | — | 444 | #606 |
| 2015 | — | — | 479 | #581 |
| 2014 | — | — | 493 | #561 |
| 2013 | — | — | 446 | #580 |
| 2012 | — | — | 492 | #532 |
| 2011 | — | — | 527 | #495 |
| 2010 | — | — | 547 | #475 |
| 2009 | — | — | 611 | #452 |
| 2008 | — | — | 679 | #427 |
| 2007 | — | — | 779 | #388 |
| 2006 | — | — | 870 | #349 |
| 2005 | — | — | 879 | #338 |
| 2004 | — | — | 925 | #326 |
| 2003 | — | — | 912 | #324 |
| 2002 | — | — | 1,043 | #285 |
| 2001 | — | — | 1,013 | #294 |
| 2000 | — | — | 1,168 | #275 |
| 1999 | — | — | 1,253 | #251 |
| 1998 | — | — | 1,345 | #234 |
| 1997 | 6 | #12,623 | 1,327 | #232 |
| 1996 | 8 | #9,880 | 1,543 | #201 |
| 1995 | 8 | #9,883 | 1,625 | #190 |
| 1994 | 5 | #14,173 | 1,898 | #167 |
| 1993 | 9 | #8,968 | 2,064 | #156 |
| 1992 | 14 | #6,417 | 2,393 | #139 |
| 1991 | 7 | #10,648 | 2,677 | #124 |
| 1990 | 15 | #5,918 | 3,069 | #114 |
| 1989 | 16 | #5,374 | 3,127 | #106 |
| 1988 | 26 | #3,623 | 3,244 | #100 |
| 1987 | 30 | #3,123 | 3,486 | #87 |
| 1986 | 33 | #2,869 | 3,719 | #84 |
| 1985 | 35 | #2,719 | 3,812 | #82 |
| 1984 | 26 | #3,260 | 3,951 | #76 |
| 1983 | 47 | #2,107 | 4,266 | #68 |
| 1982 | 43 | #2,297 | 4,642 | #64 |
| 1981 | 36 | #2,576 | 4,946 | #62 |
| 1980 | 42 | #2,319 | 5,037 | #63 |
| 1979 | 52 | #1,983 | 5,038 | #59 |
| 1978 | 38 | #2,359 | 5,111 | #60 |
| 1977 | 51 | #1,930 | 5,447 | #58 |
| 1976 | 38 | #2,217 | 5,592 | #52 |
| 1975 | 47 | #1,919 | 6,114 | #50 |
| 1974 | 46 | #1,886 | 6,444 | #48 |
| 1973 | 47 | #1,809 | 6,851 | #44 |
| 1972 | 49 | #1,775 | 7,758 | #41 |
| 1971 | 54 | #1,694 | 9,190 | #38 |
| 1970 | 64 | #1,532 | 10,716 | #35 |
| 1969 | 68 | #1,405 | 11,142 | #35 |
| 1968 | 72 | #1,303 | 11,973 | #32 |
| 1967 | 63 | #1,386 | 12,616 | #32 |
| 1966 | 54 | #1,519 | 14,155 | #28 |
| 1965 | 52 | #1,550 | 15,259 | #27 |
| 1964 | 61 | #1,452 | 17,206 | #26 |
| 1963 | 76 | #1,267 | 18,929 | #24 |
| 1962 | 77 | #1,261 | 20,884 | #22 |
| 1961 | 94 | #1,133 | 22,174 | #21 |
| 1960 | 79 | #1,229 | 21,693 | #22 |
| 1959 | 75 | #1,236 | 23,303 | #20 |
| 1958 | 64 | #1,323 | 25,287 | #17 |
| 1957 | 87 | #1,126 | 29,530 | #13 |
| 1956 | 67 | #1,274 | 31,842 | #13 |
| 1955 | 87 | #1,084 | 34,433 | #12 |
| 1954 | 88 | #1,048 | 37,920 | #9 |
| 1953 | 67 | #1,181 | 36,967 | #10 |
| 1952 | 85 | #1,019 | 38,754 | #10 |
| 1951 | 69 | #1,120 | 38,160 | #10 |
| 1950 | 68 | #1,117 | 33,737 | #10 |
| 1949 | 55 | #1,224 | 28,935 | #12 |
| 1948 | 74 | #1,017 | 28,397 | #12 |
| 1947 | 90 | #936 | 30,029 | #12 |
| 1946 | 79 | #941 | 26,931 | #12 |
| 1945 | 60 | #996 | 21,345 | #13 |
| 1944 | 67 | #949 | 20,058 | #15 |
| 1943 | 58 | #1,051 | 17,868 | #16 |
| 1942 | 60 | #1,010 | 17,068 | #18 |
| 1941 | 50 | #1,036 | 14,568 | #19 |
| 1940 | 44 | #1,089 | 12,573 | #19 |
| 1939 | 27 | #1,440 | 9,684 | #21 |
| 1938 | 35 | #1,238 | 8,861 | #22 |
| 1937 | 38 | #1,164 | 6,763 | #29 |
| 1936 | 27 | #1,424 | 5,192 | #38 |
| 1935 | 16 | #2,035 | 4,490 | #44 |
| 1934 | 15 | #2,120 | 3,354 | #60 |
| 1933 | 20 | #1,748 | 2,254 | #80 |
| 1932 | 13 | #2,411 | 1,295 | #136 |
| 1931 | 14 | #2,241 | 990 | #153 |
| 1930 | 15 | #2,238 | 713 | #194 |
| 1929 | 5 | #4,847 | 537 | #234 |
| 1928 | 12 | #2,673 | 227 | #395 |
| 1927 | — | — | 130 | #542 |
| 1926 | 10 | #3,132 | 104 | #615 |
| 1925 | 5 | #5,283 | 115 | #587 |
| 1924 | 6 | #4,678 | 84 | #723 |
| 1923 | — | — | 85 | #703 |
| 1922 | 5 | #5,292 | 73 | #783 |
| 1921 | 9 | #3,514 | 86 | #699 |
| 1920 | 7 | #4,139 | 74 | #770 |
| 1919 | 7 | #3,999 | 82 | #686 |
| 1918 | 5 | #5,106 | 74 | #749 |
| 1917 | 7 | #3,866 | 72 | #735 |
| 1916 | — | — | 72 | #704 |
| 1915 | 6 | #3,959 | 78 | #660 |
| 1914 | — | — | 59 | #660 |
| 1913 | — | — | 40 | #738 |
| 1912 | — | — | 44 | #629 |
| 1911 | — | — | 25 | #616 |
| 1910 | — | — | 16 | #766 |
| 1909 | — | — | 12 | #865 |
| 1908 | — | — | 26 | #491 |
| 1907 | — | — | 16 | #645 |
| 1906 | — | — | 16 | #599 |
| 1905 | — | — | 16 | #601 |
| 1904 | — | — | 11 | #738 |
| 1903 | — | — | 8 | #867 |
| 1902 | — | — | 18 | #514 |
| 1901 | — | — | 10 | #699 |
| 1900 | — | — | 9 | #934 |
| 1899 | — | — | 8 | #812 |
| 1898 | — | — | 7 | #921 |
| 1897 | — | — | 13 | #592 |
| 1896 | — | — | 13 | #606 |
| 1895 | — | — | 12 | #617 |
| 1894 | — | — | 10 | #691 |
| 1893 | — | — | 7 | #864 |
| 1892 | — | — | 15 | #530 |
| 1891 | — | — | 6 | #886 |
| 1890 | — | — | 11 | #613 |
| 1888 | — | — | 6 | #965 |
| 1887 | — | — | 7 | #778 |
| 1886 | — | — | 7 | #792 |
| 1885 | — | — | 7 | #794 |
| 1884 | — | — | 5 | #1,030 |
| 1882 | — | — | 10 | #620 |
| 1881 | — | — | 6 | #813 |
| 1880 | — | — | 6 | #857 |
About the data: counts are Social Security card applications for US births, for names given to at least five babies of a sex in a year (SSA, names.zip, public domain). Ranks follow SSA’s own order: most births first, ties alphabetical. Files retrieved 2026-10-05 (checksum on our sources page).