Young
Youthful, energetic, or of early age.
Name Census estimates that about 1,766 living Americans carry the first name Young. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 80.8% of registrations being male. The average person named Young today is around 47 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Young births was 1991 (60 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Young. 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.
People living today
1.8K
~ 1 in 194,085 Americans
Peak year
1991
60 babies that year
Average age
47
years old
2022 SSA rank
#12,279
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Young
Young leans heavily male at 80.8% of total registrations, but 530 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Young as a male name
- Ranked #12,279 in 2022
- 6 male births in 2022
- Peak: 1991 (42 births)
Young as a female name
- Ranked #16,553 in 1998
- 5 female births in 1998
- Peak: 1983 (19 births)
Popularity
Young: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Young from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 426 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Young 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 Young during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Youngs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Kansas, California, New York recorded the most babies named Young, while Hawaii, Texas, Alabama recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 78 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Young
The name Young is an English given name derived from the Old English word "geong," which means "young." This name has been used throughout the English-speaking world for centuries.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Young can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon period in England, around the 5th to 11th centuries AD. During this time, the name was commonly used as a descriptive name, referring to someone who was young or youthful.
In the Middle Ages, the name Young gained popularity and was often used as a symbolic name to represent the qualities of youth, such as energy, vitality, and potential. It was also used as a nickname for someone who appeared younger than their age.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Young was Young of Esslingen, a German monk and chronicler who lived in the 11th century. He is known for writing a chronicle about the history of his monastery.
During the Renaissance period, the name Young became more widespread across Europe. A notable figure with this name was Young Gresley, an English soldier and explorer who lived in the 16th century. He was known for his adventures in the New World and his expeditions to the West Indies.
In the 17th century, the name Young gained popularity in Scotland and Ireland. One of the most famous Scots with this name was Young Ged, a renowned philosopher and mathematician who lived from 1713 to 1785. He made significant contributions to the field of geometry and was a member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Another notable figure with the name Young was Young Townsend, an American politician and lawyer who lived from 1774 to 1859. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives and was instrumental in the development of the Erie Canal in New York.
In the 19th century, the name Young became more popular in the United States. One of the most famous Americans with this name was Young Brigham, the second president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who lived from 1801 to 1877. He played a significant role in leading the Mormon pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley and establishing the state of Utah.
People
Young + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Young as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Young: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Young?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,766 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Young 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 194,085 US residents.
Is Young a common name?
We classify Young as "Rare". It ranks above 93.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,764 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Young most popular?
The single biggest year for Young was 1991, when 60 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Young is about 47 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Young a male name?
Yes, 80.8% of people registered as Young 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.