Van

#10,917 for girls in 2025, 8 births · #970 for boys in 2025, 236 births
Given to boys 94.4% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1891 · 48 births
Debut · boys
33 births
In top 100 · boys
never
of 146 years
Total births · boys
29,432
since 1880

Van over time

girlsboys

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

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201917peak #1,136, 1888peak #233, 1891girlsboys
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#10,9178#970236
2024#9,55610#909257
2023#6,92216#910255
2022#13,5926#943242
2021#11,1468#871265
2020#9,54610#868260
2019#9,11211#862257
2018#8,61712#832267
2017#6,53118#907236
2016#6,18620#911236
2015#5,45824#827273
2014#6,71318#776300
2013#8,58013#838255
2012#5,11427#853249
2011#5,72823#787283
2010#9,23112#753300
2009#9,37912#774295
2008#799274
2007#17,6365#809263
2006#9,28612#906214
2005#10,12810#990174
2004#9,26411#1,053153
2003#15,7845#1,082143
2002#6,69816#1,236110
2001#6,61916#1,33797
2000#6,80815#1,46684
1999#9,4799#1,28395
1998#6,71914#1,205102
1997#9,0179#1,36681
1996#5,53117#1,18896
1995#6,64113#1,32778
1994#6,31914#1,104104
1993#4,10025#1,108102
1992#3,68029#974123
1991#4,32923#1,017112
1990#4,00325#876138
1989#3,25332#856138
1988#3,39328#832130
1987#2,23648#763144
1986#2,90332#741150
1985#2,10050#740143
1984#2,29942#775124
1983#1,81758#675160
1982#2,11548#766131
1981#2,84731#726142
1980#2,34241#705152
1979#4,05218#673161
1978#4,45915#690148
1977#4,06917#675157
1976#3,54019#683146
1975#5,9849#669152
1974#628163
1973#6,6667#593175
1972#7,2926#585185
1971#5,13610#552213
1970#5,06110#518241
1969#7,4715#487248
1968#4,22211#461278
1967#3,65613#424322
1966#3,74012#407349
1965#3,40214#385408
1964#2,82520#402392
1963#2,61922#377448
1962#3,29315#364480
1961#3,18916#342529
1960#3,09516#357479
1959#2,15228#346505
1958#2,66319#364449
1957#2,34723#355459
1956#2,92916#343471
1955#2,06327#313547
1954#2,59218#298573
1953#2,43119#294572
1952#2,58117#310535
1951#2,81014#313497
1950#3,6629#311482
1949#4,2357#299510
1948#2,82813#306494
1947#3,06112#289569
1946#2,22818#265567
1945#2,59812#279466
1944#2,28715#349293
1943#2,44714#383255
1942#421214
1941#4,4205#388220
1940#2,29713#436176
1939#2,41712#421182
1938#2,73010#381218
1937#2,73510#401194
1936#3,7016#427172
1935#2,43912#404182
1934#2,18714#413184
1933#2,68810#368216
1932#406193
1931#3,2268#412187
1930#3,6587#386219
1929#2,58712#429190
1928#3,1649#402223
1927#2,55213#416209
1926#2,47414#403220
1925#3,3629#397227
1924#5,0615#396234
1923#3,12510#438192
1922#1,95720#415207
1921#3,4009#389244
1920#3,5988#399217
1919#3,8177#441180
1918#3,8697#421191
1917#4,0836#445162
1916#2,83310#408185
1915#3,7956#408173
1914#2,12511#410134
1913#2,5407#48282
1912#42485
1911#38953
1910#39145
1909#34845
1908#38936
1907#1,6397#42929
1906#44325
1905#35534
1904#1,8775#36031
1903#30338
1902#1,4387#33733
1901#30234
1900#1,9325#27157
1899#31132
1898#30738
1897#29738
1896#30637
1895#31034
1894#30832
1893#26942
1892#31235
1891#23348
1890#33527
1889#28834
1888#1,1366#32431
1887#29432
1886#26441
1885#26838
1884#27838
1883#29431
1882#24846
1881#27632
1880#28633
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Van was already there! It came in at #286, and was given to 33 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1904–1908, when fewer than 37 boys a year got the name.

See more about Van
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 61 spots since 2024 (#909#970)
  • 102 spots since 2020 (#868#970)
  • 143 spots since 2015 (#827#970)
  • Biggest jump: 102 spots in 1891 (#335#233)
  • Biggest drop: 141 spots in 1991 (#876#1,017)
Rise & fade · boys
11 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1891 at #233 (48 births)
  • Not yet halved from its peak
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 133 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 133 yrs · run 1880–1990
Share of babies · boys
1 in 2,108
  • Highest: 1 in 2,108 boys born in 1891 were named Van (0.05%)
  • Latest: 1 in 7,238 boys born in 2025 (0.01%)
Era · boys
The 1950s
  • 17.3% of all boys named Van (5,090) were born in this decade
Girls or boys?
Never flipped
  • The majority has never changed
all girlsall boys
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s356#248 (1882)#282
1890s363#233 (1891)#299
1900s362#271 (1900)#354
1910s1,290#389 (1911)#422
1920s2,163#389 (1921)#408
1930s1,947#368 (1933)#402
1940s3,764#265 (1946)#342
1950s5,090#294 (1953)#325
1960s3,933#342 (1961)#401
1970s1,741#518 (1970)#627
1980s1,414#675 (1983)#758
1990s1,031#876 (1990)#1,145
2000s1,807#774 (2009)#1,045
2010s2,656#753 (2010)#835
2020s1,515#868 (2020)#912

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.

Van in 1917

girls
#4,083
6 births · 1 in 180,211 girls
boys
#445
162 births · 1 in 5,713 boys

Top girls' names in 1917

  1. #1Mary64,280
  2. #2Helen34,251
  3. #3Dorothy28,852
  4. #4Margaret25,560
  5. #5Ruth23,568
  6. #6Mildred16,256
  7. #7Anna15,160
  8. #8Elizabeth15,131
  9. #9Frances14,363
  10. #10Virginia14,261
  11. #4,083Van6

Top boys' names in 1917

  1. #1John51,852
  2. #2William42,422
  3. #3James37,337
  4. #4Robert35,220
  5. #5Joseph24,761
  6. #6George24,196
  7. #7Charles24,143
  8. #8Edward17,501
  9. #9Frank15,768
  10. #10Thomas12,611
  11. #445Van162
More about 1917

girls

1,081,267 girls got a published name in 1917; 1 in 180,211 of them was named Van, which outranked 23.1% of the 5,310 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Van
  1. #3,713Zenia7
  2. #3,713Zenna7
  3. #3,713Zoila7
  4. #4,083Van6
  5. #4,083Addis6
  6. #4,083Adelaine6
  7. #4,083Adena6
  8. #4,594Aaron5
  9. #4,594Abell5
  10. #4,594Adalaide5

Tied with 510 names at #4,083; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1916
Risers
  1. 549Georgene#1,445#896
  2. 380Ottie#1,332#952
  3. 365Louis#1,298#933
  4. 334Valentine#1,298#964
  5. 322Harold#1,210#888
Fallers
  1. 401Ceola#840#1,241
  2. 373Floretta#964#1,337
  3. 344Buelah#993#1,337
  4. 326Glennie#915#1,241
  5. 290Maye#915#1,205

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

boys

925,482 boys got a published name in 1917; 1 in 5,713 of them was named Van, which outranked 90.3% of the 4,602 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 30.9% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Van
  1. #441Waldo164
  2. #443Lamar163
  3. #443Luke163
  4. #445Van162
  5. #446Evan161
  6. #447Major159
  7. #447Mary159
Biggest movers since 1916
Risers
  1. 520Nicolas#1,304#784
  2. 469Hezekiah#1,415#946
  3. 433Hilliard#1,415#982
  4. 404Rayford#1,304#900
  5. 338Minoru#1,335#997
Fallers
  1. 1,738Tatsuo#824#2,562
  2. 709Berlin#984#1,693
  3. 556Prentice#972#1,528
  4. 473Manning#964#1,437
  5. 457Lovell#939#1,396

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

See the top 100 for 1917