January
Recorded 1951–2025 · United States
January was most popular in 1978, when 257 American babies were given the name — ranking #1,136 that year. In 2025 it ranked #17,163, with 9 births. Across 1880–2025 the Social Security Administration has recorded 2,170 people named January.
January over time
How old is the name January?
January first appears in Social Security Administration records in 1951, which makes it about 74 years old as a recorded American name. It has been recorded in 68 of the 75 years since.
How many people are named January?
The Social Security Administration has recorded 2,170 American births named January between 1880 and 2025. That is recorded US births, not a world population — it counts people issued a Social Security number at birth in the United States. Of those, roughly 2,092 are estimated to be alive today.
How many babies were named January in 2025?
9 American babies were named January in 2025, ranking #17,163 that year.
Is January getting more or less popular?
January is falling. Across 2021–2025 it averaged 14 births a year, against 28 a year across 2011–2015 — a change of -48% over the decade.
Measured on recorded births. American births overall have fallen since 2007, so most established names lose births over any recent decade — a name can shed births and still hold its rank. Compare the rank above, which is measured against the other names of the same year.
Is January a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Across the whole record January is a girl’s name — 100.0% of the 2,170 Americans given it were girls and 0.0% were boys. In births since 2016 it is 100% girls and 0% boys.
Counted from every US birth the Social Security Administration recorded under this name, so it reflects use rather than opinion. A name given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year is withheld at source and is not counted.
How old is someone named January?
Roughly 2,092 Americans named January are alive today — 96% of everyone ever recorded with the name. The median is 46 years old, and half are between 34 and 49.
An estimate, not a count. Recorded births are carried forward through the Social Security Administration’s 2023 period life table, by age and sex. That table describes mortality in one recent year, so it credits the oldest cohorts with today’s survival rather than the harsher rates they actually lived through — the further back a name peaked, the more this will overstate how many remain. It counts people issued a Social Security number at birth, not immigrants who arrived later.
Where January is most concentrated
How much more common the name is in each state than across the country as a whole.
Explore further
See January on the interactive charts
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Source: U.S.A. Social Security Administration. Years 1880–2025. namelegacy.org