Ebony

#5,410 for girls in 2025, 23 births · Last seen for boys in 2008 at #12,553
Given to girls 98.8% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1982 · 2,279 births
Debut · girls
6 births
In top 100 · girls
never
of 146 years
Total births · girls
38,998
since 1950

Ebony over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Ebony has never cracked the top 100 here.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201981peak #132, 1982girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#5,41023—
2024#5,44323—
2023#6,16919—
2022#4,79328—
2021#4,24533—
2020#4,54829—
2019#3,92337—
2018#3,43845—
2017#3,34647—
2016#2,53970—
2015#3,02456—
2014#2,51771—
2013#1,900105—
2012#2,04794—
2011#2,00098—
2010#1,747119—
2009#1,383171—
2008#1,345182#12,5535
2007#1,205208—
2006#1,102227—
2005#958257—
2004#816307#11,3565
2003#749333—
2002#675372—
2001#661380—
2000#552474#9,1126
1999#489530#9,9125
1998#433614#9,6315
1997#375722—
1996#347801#7,9716
1995#305907#6,9927
1994#280994—
1993#2411,164—
1992#2131,349#5,6609
1991#1951,526#5,9428
1990#1861,567#2,95221
1989#1761,577#2,10633
1988#1641,726#3,70513
1987#1571,748#3,52113
1986#1651,662#3,44013
1985#1601,787#2,82817
1984#1372,130#2,36421
1983#1352,219#2,49319
1982#1322,279#1,65436
1981#1781,554#2,89815
1980#1751,581#2,36721
1979#1841,443#2,37920
1978#1981,320#2,47318
1977#2131,157#2,06323
1976#265896#2,11322
1975#351616#1,70429
1974#404499#2,05021
1973#551299#2,51315
1972#645236#2,24317
1971#828167#2,81312
1970#1,68155—
1969#2,25432—
1968#3,31516—
1967#6,8045—
1966#5,8096—
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1950#4,7386—
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First appearance
1950

The first year at least five girls were named Ebony! It came in at #4,738, and was given to 6 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1951–1965, when fewer than 5 girls a year got the name.

Where Ebony is popular in 1981

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedAKMaine: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedMEVermont: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedNHWashington: #498 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 3,451 girlsWAIdaho: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedIDMontana: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedMTNorth Dakota: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedNDMinnesota: #501 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 4,850 girlsMNIllinois: #145 for girls · 97 births · 1 in 775 girlsILWisconsin: #378 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 3,464 girlsWIMichigan: #150 for girls · 72 births · 1 in 815 girlsMINew York: #93 for girls · 219 births · 1 in 463 girlsNYMassachusetts: #429 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 3,513 girlsMARhode Island: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedRIOregon: #374 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 2,424 girlsORNevada: #172 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 729 girlsNVWyoming: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedSDIowa: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedIAIndiana: #226 for girls · 23 births · 1 in 1,517 girlsINOhio: #135 for girls · 108 births · 1 in 669 girlsOHPennsylvania: #186 for girls · 65 births · 1 in 1,067 girlsPANew Jersey: #125 for girls · 57 births · 1 in 654 girlsNJConnecticut: #106 for girls · 31 births · 1 in 497 girlsCTCalifornia: #297 for girls · 106 births · 1 in 1,710 girlsCAUtah: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedUTColorado: #335 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 2,077 girlsCONebraska: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedNEMissouri: #181 for girls · 32 births · 1 in 1,002 girlsMOKentucky: #179 for girls · 25 births · 1 in 955 girlsKYWest Virginia: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedWVVirginia: #106 for girls · 59 births · 1 in 509 girlsVAMaryland: #87 for girls · 50 births · 1 in 419 girlsMDDelaware: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedDEArizona: #465 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 2,851 girlsAZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 girls named Ebony, so not publishedNMKansas: #280 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 1,719 girlsKSArkansas: #138 for girls · 20 births · 1 in 636 girlsARTennessee: #154 for girls · 36 births · 1 in 775 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #117 for girls · 60 births · 1 in 552 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #87 for girls · 48 births · 1 in 374 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: #25 for girls · 53 births · 1 in 109 girlsDCOklahoma: #235 for girls · 15 births · 1 in 1,340 girlsOKLouisiana: #149 for girls · 43 births · 1 in 712 girlsLAMississippi: #143 for girls · 25 births · 1 in 634 girlsMSAlabama: #189 for girls · 24 births · 1 in 947 girlsALGeorgia: #137 for girls · 49 births · 1 in 711 girlsGAHawaii: #270 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 972 girlsHITexas: #345 for girls · 61 births · 1 in 2,028 girlsTXFlorida: #134 for girls · 82 births · 1 in 660 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. District of Columbia#25 · 1 in 109
  2. South Carolina#87 · 1 in 374
  3. Maryland#87 · 1 in 419
  4. New York#93 · 1 in 463
  5. Connecticut#106 · 1 in 497

Best ever in a state: #17 in District of Columbia, 1982.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
District of Columbia#25531 in 109
Maryland#87501 in 419
South Carolina#87481 in 374
New York#932191 in 463
Connecticut#106311 in 497
Virginia#106591 in 509
North Carolina#117601 in 552
New Jersey#125571 in 654
Florida#134821 in 660
Ohio#1351081 in 669
Georgia#137491 in 711
Arkansas#138201 in 636
Mississippi#143251 in 634
Illinois#145971 in 775
Louisiana#149431 in 712
Michigan#150721 in 815
Tennessee#154361 in 775
Nevada#17261 in 729
Kentucky#179251 in 955
Missouri#181321 in 1,002
Pennsylvania#186651 in 1,067
Alabama#189241 in 947
Indiana#226231 in 1,517
Oklahoma#235151 in 1,340
Hawaii#27051 in 972
Kansas#28091 in 1,719
California#2971061 in 1,710
Colorado#335101 in 2,077
Texas#345611 in 2,028
Oregon#37471 in 2,424
Wisconsin#37891 in 3,464
Massachusetts#42991 in 3,513
Arizona#46571 in 2,851
Washington#49881 in 3,451
Minnesota#50161 in 4,850
Alaska———
Delaware———
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Maine———
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Nebraska———
New Hampshire———
New Mexico———
North Dakota———
Rhode Island———
South Dakota———
Utah———
Vermont———
West Virginia———
Wyoming———

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the girls born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Ebony
Momentum · girls
Holding steady
  • 33 spots since 2024 (#5,443 → #5,410)
  • 862 spots since 2020 (#4,548 → #5,410)
  • 2,386 spots since 2015 (#3,024 → #5,410)
  • Biggest jump: 853 spots in 1971 (#1,681 → #828)
  • Biggest drop: 144 spots in 2006 (#958 → #1,102)
Rise & fade · girls
32 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1950
  • Peaked 1982 at #132 (2,279 births)
  • Births halved by 1994, 12 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 1,000 for 35 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 35 yrs · run 1971–2005
Share of babies · girls
1 in 743
  • Highest: 1 in 743 girls born in 1982 were named Ebony (0.13%)
  • Latest: 1 in 69,881 girls born in 2025 (0.00%)
Era · girls
The 1980s
  • 46.8% of all girls named Ebony (18,263) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1950s6#4,738 (1950)#4,738
1960s59#2,254 (1969)#4,546
1970s6,688#184 (1979)#532
1980s18,263#132 (1982)#158
1990s10,174#186 (1990)#306
2000s2,911#552 (2000)#945
2010s742#1,747 (2010)#2,648
2020s155#4,245 (2021)#5,101

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Ebony in 1981

girls
#178
1,554 births · 1 in 1,073 girls
boys
#2,898
15 births · 1 in 119,412 boys

Top girls' names in 1981

  1. #1Jennifer57,046
  2. #2Jessica42,531
  3. #3Amanda34,372
  4. #4Sarah28,175
  5. #5Melissa28,005
  6. #6Amy20,345
  7. #7Nicole20,310
  8. #8Stephanie20,212
  9. #9Elizabeth20,168
  10. #10Heather17,946
  11. #178Ebony1,554

Top boys' names in 1981

  1. #1Michael68,750
  2. #2Christopher50,221
  3. #3Matthew43,330
  4. #4Jason41,927
  5. #5David40,629
  6. #6Joshua39,024
  7. #7James38,283
  8. #8John34,868
  9. #9Robert34,395
  10. #10Daniel30,985
  11. #2,898Ebony15
More about 1981

girls

1,668,060 girls got a published name in 1981; 1 in 1,073 of them was named Ebony, which outranked 98.5% of the 12,198 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Ebony
  1. #174Martha1,572
  2. #176Janet1,568
  3. #177Yolanda1,565
  4. #178Ebony1,554
  5. #179Summer1,544
  6. #180Priscilla1,540
  7. #181Claudia1,530
Biggest movers since 1980
Risers
  1. ↑ 3,850Tashina#4,743 → #893
  2. ↑ 2,742Krystle#3,215 → #473
  3. ↑ 1,800Tierra#2,342 → #542
  4. ↑ 1,398Martine#2,189 → #791
  5. ↑ 999Nereida#1,981 → #982
Fallers
  1. ↓ 764Kylene#990 → #1,754
  2. ↓ 607Renada#708 → #1,315
  3. ↓ 560Ashanti#822 → #1,382
  4. ↓ 399Renata#336 → #735
  5. ↓ 395Tracee#959 → #1,354

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,791,177 boys got a published name in 1981; 1 in 119,412 of them was named Ebony, which outranked 60.2% of the 7,289 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.6% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Ebony
  1. #2,779Westly16
  2. #2,779Yee16
  3. #2,779Zachry16
  4. #2,898Ebony15
  5. #2,898Acie15
  6. #2,898Adil15
  7. #2,898Alejandra15
  8. #3,030Able14
  9. #3,030Aden14
  10. #3,030Adrean14

Tied with 131 names at #2,898; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1980
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,321Marchello#2,162 → #841
  2. ↑ 1,104Skylar#2,058 → #954
  3. ↑ 816Kellen#1,432 → #616
  4. ↑ 499Marcello#1,291 → #792
  5. ↑ 456Tyrel#1,089 → #633
Fallers
  1. ↓ 306Kenyatta#871 → #1,177
  2. ↓ 284Seneca#718 → #1,002
  3. ↓ 247Kimberly#989 → #1,236
  4. ↓ 216Chadd#927 → #1,143
  5. ↓ 214Levar#911 → #1,125

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1981 →