Smiley
A bright, cheerful person who smiles frequently.
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the first name Smiley. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Smiley today is around 75 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Smiley births was 1926 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Smiley. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Smiley is about 75 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Smileys were born before 1961.
People living today
117
~ 1 in 2,929,524 Americans
Peak year
1926
13 babies that year
Average age
75
years old
1971 SSA rank
#5,555
Tracked since 1900
Popularity
Smiley: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Smiley from the 1900s through to the 1970s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 74 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Smiley 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 Smiley during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Smileys live
Origin
Meaning and history of Smiley
The name Smiley is a relatively modern name, first appearing in the late 19th century. It is an English language name derived from the word "smile," which originally comes from the Middle English word "smilen," meaning to laugh or grin. The name likely emerged as a descriptive nickname or surname for someone with a cheerful or smiley demeanor.
While the name Smiley itself does not have deep historical roots, the concept of smiling has been present in various cultures throughout history. In ancient Greek and Roman art, smiling figures were often depicted as expressions of joy, happiness, or amusement. The act of smiling has been recognized as a universally understood expression across cultures.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Smiley was Arthur Smiley, an English cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire in the late 19th century, born in 1865. Another early bearer of the name was Alfred Smiley, an American educator and philanthropist who founded the Mohonk Mountain House resort in New York in the late 1800s.
In the 20th century, notable individuals with the name Smiley include Smiley Burnette (1911-1967), an American comedian and actor best known for his appearances in Western films and television shows. Smiley Lewis (1913-1966) was an American blues singer and songwriter from New Orleans, known for his distinctive vocal style and hits like "I Hear You Knocking."
More recently, Smiley Blanton (born 1981) is an American musician and member of the rock band Orgy. Smiley Anders (born 1959) is a Canadian actor, known for his roles in television series like "The Killing" and "Battlestar Galactica."
While the name Smiley may not have a long historical lineage, its association with joy, positivity, and friendliness has made it a recognizable and memorable name in modern times.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Smiley
People
Smiley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Smiley as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Smiley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Smiley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 117 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Smiley 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 2,929,524 US residents.
Is Smiley a common name?
We classify Smiley as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 357 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Smiley most popular?
The single biggest year for Smiley was 1926, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Smiley is about 75 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Smiley a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Smiley in the SSA data are male. 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.
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.