Telly

Last seen for girls in 1978 at #6,948 · Last seen for boys in 2024 at #12,349
Given to boys 94.9% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1974 · 294 births
Debut · boys
5 births
In top 100 · boys
never
of 146 years
Total births · boys
1,527
since 1967

Telly over time

girlsboys

Rank within each sex, plotted together. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201974peak #468, 1974girlsat peakboys
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
2024#12,3495
2023
2022
2021#12,1465
2020#7,03411
2019
2018
2017#8,1409
2016#10,7446
2015#7,49110
2014#9,6427
2013#9,6557
2012#8,1589
2011#5,94514
2010#12,2315
2009#9,8647
2008#9,8717
2007#8,1739
2006#6,46012
2005#5,03416
2004#8,1438
2003#6,71510
2002#4,91915
2001#4,12119
2000#3,42324
1999#5,03513
1998#3,39022
1997#3,26122
1996#4,61313
1995#3,55918
1994#3,75117
1993#3,50118
1992#6,1288
1991#8,2365
1990#5,3829
1989#6,9416
1988
1987
1986#4,4579
1985#3,59912
1984#3,92510
1983#2,91215
1982#2,59618
1981#2,56918
1980#2,28422
1979#2,10424
1978#6,9488#1,14959
1977#5,21312#732136
1976#4,61413#562207
1975#3,51419#480277
1974#3,55818#468294
1973#6,6667#1,31240
1972#3,9637
1971
1970
1969#7,4715
1968#3,1078
1967#3,9665
1966
1965
1964
1963
1962
1961
1960
1959
1958
1957
1956
1955
1954
1953
1952
1951
1950
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
1967

The first year at least five boys were named Telly! It came in at #3,966, and was given to 5 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1969–1971, when fewer than 5 boys a year got the name.

See more about Telly
Momentum · boys
Faded out
  • Not published in 2025; last seen 2024
  • Biggest jump: 844 spots in 1974 (#1,312#468)
  • Biggest drop: 417 spots in 1978 (#732#1,149)
Rise & fade · boys
7 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1967
  • Peaked 1974 at #468 (294 births)
  • Births halved by 1977, 3 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 4 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 4 yrs · run 1974–1977
Share of babies · boys
1 in 5,348
  • Highest: 1 in 5,348 boys born in 1974 were named Telly (0.02%)
  • Latest: 1 in 344,578 boys born in 2024 (0.00%)
Era · boys
The 1970s
  • 68.4% of all boys named Telly (1,044) were born in this decade
Girls or boys?
Flipped in 1972
  • Mostly girls until 1971, mostly boys since
all girlsall boys
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1960s13#3,107 (1968)#3,537
1970s1,044#468 (1974)#1,346
1980s110#2,284 (1980)#3,660
1990s145#3,261 (1997)#4,686
2000s127#3,423 (2000)#6,672
2010s67#5,945 (2011)#9,001
2020s21#7,034 (2020)#10,510

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

Telly in 1974

girls
#3,558
18 births · 1 in 81,530 girls
boys
#468
294 births · 1 in 5,348 boys

Top girls' names in 1974

  1. #1Jennifer63,107
  2. #2Amy29,566
  3. #3Michelle25,826
  4. #4Heather23,179
  5. #5Angela22,803
  6. #6Kimberly22,427
  7. #7Melissa22,166
  8. #8Lisa19,778
  9. #9Stephanie16,984
  10. #10Rebecca15,163
  11. #3,558Telly18

Top boys' names in 1974

  1. #1Michael67,534
  2. #2Jason54,756
  3. #3Christopher48,585
  4. #4David41,786
  5. #5James41,334
  6. #6John37,612
  7. #7Robert37,005
  8. #8Brian34,449
  9. #9Matthew27,194
  10. #10William26,980
  11. #468Telly294
More about 1974

girls

1,467,534 girls got a published name in 1974; 1 in 81,530 of them was named Telly, which outranked 65.3% of the 10,247 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.8% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Telly
  1. #3,426Yevette19
  2. #3,426Yolando19
  3. #3,426Yvonda19
  4. #3,558Telly18
  5. #3,558Adelle18
  6. #3,558Albertina18
  7. #3,558Angelika18
  8. #3,695Abena17
  9. #3,695Amita17
  10. #3,695Andree17

Tied with 136 names at #3,558; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1973
Risers
  1. 6,440Nakia#6,666#226
  2. 5,329Nikia#6,080#751
  3. 1,994Luciana#2,914#920
  4. 1,556Cortney#2,349#793
  5. 1,213Nia#1,885#672
Fallers
  1. 1,251Contina#962#2,213
  2. 396Pam#990#1,386
  3. 376Tracee#536#912
  4. 364Cher#760#1,124
  5. 314Richard#904#1,218

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

boys

1,572,334 boys got a published name in 1974; 1 in 5,348 of them was named Telly, which outranked 92.2% of the 6,004 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 26.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Telly
  1. #465Darius297
  2. #465Rex297
  3. #467Moses295
  4. #468Telly294
  5. #468Hugh294
  6. #470Dallas291
  7. #471Darrick288
  8. #472Elijah287

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1973
Risers
  1. 3,544Rashad#4,505#961
  2. 844Telly#1,312#468
  3. 398Jabari#1,312#914
  4. 356Ahmad#1,123#767
  5. 356Toma#1,238#882
Fallers
  1. 383Parrish#987#1,370
  2. 378Fredric#957#1,335
  3. 346Jory#753#1,099
  4. 301Vidal#834#1,135
  5. 277Pat#847#1,124

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

See the top 100 for 1974