How Many People Are Named Stanley?
An estimated 139,218 people in the United States have the first name Stanley. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #386 overall. It is predominantly male (99.5%). The average bearer is 64 years old, and Stanley peaked in popularity in 1954 with 6,472 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Stanley 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 Stanley paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Stanley is overwhelmingly male, 1,437 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- Stanley has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
139,218
About 1 in 2,462 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Male
99.5% confidence
Average Age
64
years old
Peak Year
1954
6,472 births
Total Registered
302,579
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Stanley
Stanley is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 302,579 total births registered, 99.5% were male.
Stanley as a male name
Ranked #875 in 2024
275 male births in 2024
Peak: 1954 (6,448 births)
Stanley as a female name
Ranked #12,753 in 1990
6 female births in 1990
Peak: 1927 (47 births)
Stanley: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Stanley span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1950s, when 57,364 babies were registered. Stanley has declined significantly from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Stanley by Decade
How has Stanley 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 997 | 997 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 2,297 | 2,297 | 0 | |
| 1900s | 4,185 | 4,156 | 29 | |
| 1910s | 36,048 | 35,908 | 140 | |
| 1920s | 49,760 | 49,456 | 304 | |
| 1930s | 37,322 | 37,131 | 191 | |
| 1940s | 46,454 | 46,263 | 191 | |
| 1950s | 57,364 | 57,162 | 202 | |
| 1960s | 30,182 | 30,002 | 180 | |
| 1970s | 13,328 | 13,220 | 108 | |
| 1980s | 9,296 | 9,210 | 86 | |
| 1990s | 6,129 | 6,123 | 6 | |
| 2000s | 4,127 | 4,127 | 0 | |
| 2010s | 3,541 | 3,541 | 0 | |
| 2020s | 1,549 | 1,549 | 0 | |
Stanley by State
Birth registrations for Stanley span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois. The lowest are in Alaska, Nevada, Wyoming. On average, about 5,710 Stanleys were registered per state.
Stanley + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Stanley as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Stanley
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
Stanley: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Stanley?
We estimate approximately 139,218 people named Stanley 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 2,462 Americans share this first name.
Is Stanley a common name?
Stanley is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.6% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 302,579 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Stanley most popular?
Stanley reached peak popularity in 1954, when 6,472 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Stanley is approximately 64 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Stanley a male name?
Stanley is predominantly male. 99.5% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Stanley Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Stanley Smith, Stanley Johnson, Stanley 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.
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