Ebony

#5,410 for girls in 2025, 23 births · Last seen for boys in 2008 at #12,553
Given to girls 98.8% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1982 · 2,279 births
Debut · girls
6 births
In top 100 · girls
never
of 146 years
Total births · girls
38,998
since 1950

Ebony over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Ebony has never cracked the top 100 here.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201980peak #132, 1982girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#5,41023
2024#5,44323
2023#6,16919
2022#4,79328
2021#4,24533
2020#4,54829
2019#3,92337
2018#3,43845
2017#3,34647
2016#2,53970
2015#3,02456
2014#2,51771
2013#1,900105
2012#2,04794
2011#2,00098
2010#1,747119
2009#1,383171
2008#1,345182#12,5535
2007#1,205208
2006#1,102227
2005#958257
2004#816307#11,3565
2003#749333
2002#675372
2001#661380
2000#552474#9,1126
1999#489530#9,9125
1998#433614#9,6315
1997#375722
1996#347801#7,9716
1995#305907#6,9927
1994#280994
1993#2411,164
1992#2131,349#5,6609
1991#1951,526#5,9428
1990#1861,567#2,95221
1989#1761,577#2,10633
1988#1641,726#3,70513
1987#1571,748#3,52113
1986#1651,662#3,44013
1985#1601,787#2,82817
1984#1372,130#2,36421
1983#1352,219#2,49319
1982#1322,279#1,65436
1981#1781,554#2,89815
1980#1751,581#2,36721
1979#1841,443#2,37920
1978#1981,320#2,47318
1977#2131,157#2,06323
1976#265896#2,11322
1975#351616#1,70429
1974#404499#2,05021
1973#551299#2,51315
1972#645236#2,24317
1971#828167#2,81312
1970#1,68155
1969#2,25432
1968#3,31516
1967#6,8045
1966#5,8096
1965
1964
1963
1962
1961
1960
1959
1958
1957
1956
1955
1954
1953
1952
1951
1950#4,7386
1949
1948
1947
1946
1945
1944
1943
1942
1941
1940
1939
1938
1937
1936
1935
1934
1933
1932
1931
1930
1929
1928
1927
1926
1925
1924
1923
1922
1921
1920
1919
1918
1917
1916
1915
1914
1913
1912
1911
1910
1909
1908
1907
1906
1905
1904
1903
1902
1901
1900
1899
1898
1897
1896
1895
1894
1893
1892
1891
1890
1889
1888
1887
1886
1885
1884
1883
1882
1881
1880
First appearance
1950

The first year at least five girls were named Ebony! It came in at #4,738, and was given to 6 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1951–1965, when fewer than 5 girls a year got the name.

Where Ebony is popular in 1980

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedAKMaine: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedMEVermont: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedNHWashington: #655 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 5,367 girlsWAIdaho: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedIDMontana: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedMTNorth Dakota: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedNDMinnesota: #499 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 4,857 girlsMNIllinois: #155 for girls · 92 births · 1 in 840 girlsILWisconsin: #279 for girls · 16 births · 1 in 1,968 girlsWIMichigan: #112 for girls · 105 births · 1 in 574 girlsMINew York: #94 for girls · 219 births · 1 in 456 girlsNYMassachusetts: #321 for girls · 14 births · 1 in 2,232 girlsMARhode Island: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedRIOregon: #468 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 3,460 girlsORNevada: #144 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 596 girlsNVWyoming: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedSDIowa: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedIAIndiana: #221 for girls · 27 births · 1 in 1,370 girlsINOhio: #145 for girls · 98 births · 1 in 748 girlsOHPennsylvania: #172 for girls · 72 births · 1 in 958 girlsPANew Jersey: #152 for girls · 47 births · 1 in 792 girlsNJConnecticut: #121 for girls · 26 births · 1 in 573 girlsCTCalifornia: #268 for girls · 123 births · 1 in 1,412 girlsCAUtah: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedUTColorado: #273 for girls · 13 births · 1 in 1,515 girlsCONebraska: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedNEMissouri: #163 for girls · 37 births · 1 in 903 girlsMOKentucky: #216 for girls · 20 births · 1 in 1,243 girlsKYWest Virginia: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedWVVirginia: #99 for girls · 66 births · 1 in 452 girlsVAMaryland: #101 for girls · 43 births · 1 in 470 girlsMDDelaware: #76 for girls · 11 births · 1 in 278 girlsDEArizona: #436 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 2,410 girlsAZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedNMKansas: #266 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 1,512 girlsKSArkansas: #187 for girls · 14 births · 1 in 965 girlsARTennessee: #179 for girls · 31 births · 1 in 917 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #101 for girls · 68 births · 1 in 489 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #109 for girls · 39 births · 1 in 459 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: #41 for girls · 34 births · 1 in 165 girlsDCOklahoma: #161 for girls · 24 births · 1 in 804 girlsOKLouisiana: #139 for girls · 47 births · 1 in 653 girlsLAMississippi: #185 for girls · 19 births · 1 in 864 girlsMSAlabama: #159 for girls · 29 births · 1 in 793 girlsALGeorgia: #168 for girls · 41 births · 1 in 861 girlsGAHawaii: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedHITexas: #305 for girls · 73 births · 1 in 1,642 girlsTXFlorida: #131 for girls · 78 births · 1 in 662 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. District of Columbia#41 · 1 in 165
  2. Delaware#76 · 1 in 278
  3. New York#94 · 1 in 456
  4. Virginia#99 · 1 in 452
  5. Maryland#101 · 1 in 470

Best ever in a state: #17 in District of Columbia, 1982.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
District of Columbia#41341 in 165
Delaware#76111 in 278
New York#942191 in 456
Virginia#99661 in 452
Maryland#101431 in 470
North Carolina#101681 in 489
South Carolina#109391 in 459
Michigan#1121051 in 574
Connecticut#121261 in 573
Florida#131781 in 662
Louisiana#139471 in 653
Nevada#14471 in 596
Ohio#145981 in 748
New Jersey#152471 in 792
Illinois#155921 in 840
Alabama#159291 in 793
Oklahoma#161241 in 804
Missouri#163371 in 903
Georgia#168411 in 861
Pennsylvania#172721 in 958
Tennessee#179311 in 917
Mississippi#185191 in 864
Arkansas#187141 in 965
Kentucky#216201 in 1,243
Indiana#221271 in 1,370
Kansas#266101 in 1,512
California#2681231 in 1,412
Colorado#273131 in 1,515
Wisconsin#279161 in 1,968
Texas#305731 in 1,642
Massachusetts#321141 in 2,232
Arizona#43681 in 2,410
Oregon#46851 in 3,460
Minnesota#49961 in 4,857
Washington#65551 in 5,367
Alaska
Hawaii
Idaho
Iowa
Maine
Montana
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New Mexico
North Dakota
Rhode Island
South Dakota
Utah
Vermont
West Virginia
Wyoming

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the girls born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Ebony
Momentum · girls
Holding steady
  • 33 spots since 2024 (#5,443#5,410)
  • 862 spots since 2020 (#4,548#5,410)
  • 2,386 spots since 2015 (#3,024#5,410)
  • Biggest jump: 853 spots in 1971 (#1,681#828)
  • Biggest drop: 144 spots in 2006 (#958#1,102)
Rise & fade · girls
32 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1950
  • Peaked 1982 at #132 (2,279 births)
  • Births halved by 1994, 12 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 1,000 for 35 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 35 yrs · run 1971–2005
Share of babies · girls
1 in 743
  • Highest: 1 in 743 girls born in 1982 were named Ebony (0.13%)
  • Latest: 1 in 69,881 girls born in 2025 (0.00%)
Era · girls
The 1980s
  • 46.8% of all girls named Ebony (18,263) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1950s6#4,738 (1950)#4,738
1960s59#2,254 (1969)#4,546
1970s6,688#184 (1979)#532
1980s18,263#132 (1982)#158
1990s10,174#186 (1990)#306
2000s2,911#552 (2000)#945
2010s742#1,747 (2010)#2,648
2020s155#4,245 (2021)#5,101

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Ebony in 1980

girls
#175
1,581 births · 1 in 1,050 girls
boys
#2,367
21 births · 1 in 84,950 boys

Top girls' names in 1980

  1. #1Jennifer58,374
  2. #2Amanda35,811
  3. #3Jessica33,924
  4. #4Melissa31,629
  5. #5Sarah25,757
  6. #6Heather19,973
  7. #7Nicole19,917
  8. #8Amy19,833
  9. #9Elizabeth19,529
  10. #10Michelle19,119
  11. #175Ebony1,581

Top boys' names in 1980

  1. #1Michael68,683
  2. #2Christopher49,079
  3. #3Jason48,164
  4. #4David41,891
  5. #5James39,312
  6. #6Matthew37,834
  7. #7Joshua36,052
  8. #8John35,274
  9. #9Robert34,266
  10. #10Joseph30,185
  11. #2,367Ebony21
More about 1980

girls

1,660,307 girls got a published name in 1980; 1 in 1,050 of them was named Ebony, which outranked 98.6% of the 12,161 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.1% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Ebony
  1. #172Janet1,609
  2. #173Paula1,598
  3. #174Aimee1,590
  4. #175Ebony1,581
  5. #176Abigail1,577
  6. #177Debra1,558
  7. #178Martha1,555
Biggest movers since 1979
Risers
  1. 1,510Renada#2,218#708
  2. 1,173Tai#2,112#939
  3. 1,036Anya#1,592#556
  4. 601Chimere#1,503#902
  5. 517Brynn#1,442#925
Fallers
  1. 529Marlana#989#1,518
  2. 494Kizzy#647#1,141
  3. 369January#748#1,117
  4. 361Carisa#836#1,197
  5. 328Latonia#841#1,169

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,783,951 boys got a published name in 1980; 1 in 84,950 of them was named Ebony, which outranked 67.5% of the 7,293 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.6% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Ebony
  1. #2,284Trevon22
  2. #2,284Victorio22
  3. #2,284Willaim22
  4. #2,367Ebony21
  5. #2,367Algernon21
  6. #2,367Anh21
  7. #2,367Arien21
  8. #2,444Alexandros20
  9. #2,444Alicia20
  10. #2,444Alma20

Tied with 76 names at #2,367; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1979
Risers
  1. 381Gideon#1,370#989
  2. 296Bo#864#568
  3. 270Anson#1,137#867
  4. 266Dustan#1,255#989
  5. 255Dusty#614#359
Fallers
  1. 366Harris#991#1,357
  2. 362Tracey#842#1,204
  3. 331Jevon#780#1,111
  4. 321Kennith#937#1,258
  5. 267Levar#644#911

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1980