How Many People Are Named Ryan?
An estimated 953,226 people in the United States have the first name Ryan, ranking it #26 among all first names. It is predominantly male (97.2%). The average bearer is 33 years old, and Ryan peaked in popularity in 1985 with 30,479 births that year. It has a similar number of bearers to Timothy (944,752).
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Ryan as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Ryan paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Ryan is overwhelmingly male, 27,225 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
Estimated Living Americans
953,226
About 1 in 360 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Common
Predicted Gender
Male
97.2% confidence
Average Age
33
years old
Peak Year
1985
30,479 births
Total Registered
987,785
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Ryan
Ryan is predominantly male (97.2%), though 27,225 female births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Ryan as a male name
Ranked #87 in 2024
3,892 male births in 2024
Peak: 1985 (29,909 births)
Ryan as a female name
Ranked #702 in 2024
399 female births in 2024
Peak: 2018 (866 births)
Ryan: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Ryan span from the 1900s to the 2020s, covering 13 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1980s, when 285,131 babies were registered. Ryan has declined significantly from its peak in the 1980s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Ryan by Decade
How has Ryan tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 10 | 10 | 0 | |
| 1910s | 55 | 55 | 0 | |
| 1920s | 111 | 111 | 0 | |
| 1930s | 134 | 134 | 0 | |
| 1940s | 500 | 500 | 0 | |
| 1950s | 1,968 | 1,961 | 7 | |
| 1960s | 11,405 | 11,327 | 78 | |
| 1970s | 141,779 | 139,643 | 2,136 | |
| 1980s | 285,131 | 278,954 | 6,177 | |
| 1990s | 245,237 | 241,240 | 3,997 | |
| 2000s | 179,141 | 173,238 | 5,903 | |
| 2010s | 97,251 | 90,989 | 6,262 | |
| 2020s | 25,063 | 22,398 | 2,665 | |
Ryan by State
Birth registrations for Ryan span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, New York, Texas. The lowest are in Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska. On average, about 19,294 Ryans were registered per state.
Ryan + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Ryan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Ryan
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
Ryan: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ryan?
We estimate approximately 953,226 people named Ryan are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 360 Americans share this first name.
Is Ryan a common name?
Ryan is classified as "Very Common" and is more popular than 100% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 987,785 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Ryan most popular?
Ryan reached peak popularity in 1985, when 30,479 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Ryan is approximately 33 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Ryan a male name?
Ryan is predominantly male. 97.2% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Ryan Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Ryan Smith, Ryan Johnson, Ryan Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
Search for a full name combination
How Many of Me