Liberty
A feminine given name meaning "freedom from control or obligation".
Name Census estimates that about 14,547 living Americans carry the first name Liberty. It is a predominantly female name (99.0% of registrations). The average person named Liberty today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Liberty births was 2004 (754 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Liberty. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Liberty with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Although Liberty is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 154 boys registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
15K
~ 1 in 23,562 Americans
Peak year
2004
754 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2017 SSA rank
#982
Tracked since 1912
Census
Liberty in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 12,473 people with the first name Liberty, which placed it at #2,140 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#2,140
National first-name rank
People counted
12K
12,473 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
4.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
67.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Liberty
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Liberty is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Hispanic (8.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Liberty described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Liberty at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.7% · 8,438
- Black or African American9.2% · 1,148
- Hispanic or Latino8.5% · 1,057
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.9% · 865
- Two or more races6.6% · 828
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 137
Gender
Gender distribution for Liberty
Liberty leans heavily female at 99.0% of total registrations, but 154 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Liberty as a male name
- Ranked #11,611 in 2017
- 6 male births in 2017
- Peak: 1976 (16 births)
Liberty as a female name
- Ranked #982 in 2024
- 263 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2004 (749 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Liberty leans strongly female. 12,257 people counted with this name were female (98.2%), compared with 224 male bearers (1.8%).
Popularity
Liberty: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Liberty from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 5,369 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Liberty remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Liberty by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Liberty during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Libertys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 45 states and territories. California, Texas, Ohio recorded the most babies named Liberty, while Wyoming, New Hampshire, Connecticut recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 278 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Liberty
The given name Liberty is derived from the Latin word "libertas," which means "freedom" or "liberty." The name has its origins in ancient Roman culture, where the concept of liberty was deeply revered and celebrated.
Liberty as a personal name gained popularity during the era of the American and French Revolutions in the late 18th century. It became a symbol of the ideals of freedom, democracy, and independence that these revolutionary movements represented. The name was often given to children born during or shortly after these pivotal historical events.
In ancient Roman times, the personification of Liberty was depicted as a goddess, Libertas. She was portrayed as a graceful female figure, often holding a cap or staff, representing the freedom of the Roman people. Her image was frequently featured on Roman coins and seals, symbolizing the importance of liberty in Roman society.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Liberty is found in the writings of the Roman historian Livy, who lived from 59 BC to 17 AD. He mentioned a woman named Libertas who was honored for her courage and devotion to the cause of freedom.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Liberty. One such individual was Liberty Wertmüller (1726-1817), a Swiss-born American Revolutionary War soldier who fought for the Continental Army and became a respected military leader.
Another prominent figure was Liberty Hyde Bailey (1858-1954), an American horticulturist, botanist, and co-founder of the American Society for Horticultural Science. His work significantly contributed to the advancement of agricultural sciences and the preservation of natural resources.
In the realm of literature, Liberty Broderick (1888-1962) was an American writer and poet known for her works that celebrated the beauty of nature and the human spirit. Her poems often explored themes of freedom, independence, and the pursuit of happiness.
Liberty Valance, a fictional character from the 1962 Western film of the same name, became a cultural icon representing the ideals of justice, honor, and the transition from the era of the Wild West to a more civilized society.
Liberty Ross (born 1978) is a contemporary British model, actress, and entrepreneur who has graced the covers of numerous fashion magazines and has been a prominent figure in the fashion industry for over two decades.
The name Liberty has been a powerful symbol throughout history, representing the human desire for freedom, self-determination, and the pursuit of ideals that uplift the human spirit. Its enduring legacy continues to inspire generations, serving as a reminder of the ongoing struggle for liberty and the unwavering commitment to preserving fundamental human rights.
People
Liberty + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Liberty as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Liberty: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Liberty?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14,547 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Liberty going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 23,562 US residents.
Is Liberty a common name?
We classify Liberty as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15,204 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Liberty most popular?
The single biggest year for Liberty was 2004, when 754 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Liberty is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Liberty in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 12,473 people with the name Liberty, or 4.13 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #2,140 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Liberty in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Liberty?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Liberty leans strongly female. 12,257 people counted with this name were female (98.2%), compared with 224 male bearers (1.8%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Liberty?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Liberty is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Hispanic (8.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Liberty most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Liberty in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.7% (8,438 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Liberty in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Liberty a female name?
Yes, 99.0% of people registered as Liberty in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Liberty still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Liberty in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Liberty can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Liberty?
See how many Americans are named Liberty on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.