Declining since 1986, #6,803 for boys today.
Popularity of Al since 1880
Babies named Al per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1959, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Al's real moment was 1910.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 209 |
| 1890s | 228 |
| 1900s | 385 |
| 1910s | 1,227 |
| 1920s | 1,428 |
| 1930s | 1,924 |
| 1940s | 2,345 |
| 1950s | 3,219 |
| 1960s | 2,520 |
| 1970s | 1,409 |
| 1980s | 972 |
| 1990s | 620 |
| 2000s | 324 |
| 2010s | 191 |
| 2020s | 78 |
Meaning & origin
Al is a classic nickname-turned-given name that saw its greatest popularity in the early 20th century. First recorded in 1880, the name reached its peak in 1910 when it was most commonly chosen for newborn boys. Since 1986, its usage has steadily declined, and by 2025, it ranks 6,803rd with only about 1 in 142,340 boys receiving the name. While it never had a strong regional concentration in any top states, Al remains a familiar, no-frills choice that evokes an earlier era. Its simplicity and brevity give it a straightforward charm, but the name has largely fallen out of fashion as parents have moved toward longer, more elaborate names. Al is best understood as a fragment of other, more formal names, and its legacy is tied to the rise and fall of those longer forms.
Al originated as a nickname or short form of various Germanic-derived names like Albert, Alfred, Alvin, or Aloysius. As a standalone given name, it gained popularity in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, often used as a familiar diminutive. Its peak usage came in 1910, when it ranked among the top names for boys.
Where Al is most popular
Births per 100,000 boys by state. Press play or drag the slider to watch it move across the decades. The lightest shade means too few recorded births.
“Al” around the world
Where Al lands in the latest official birth statistics abroad, matched to the U.S. spelling.
France
25
babies in 2024
Sources: INSEE (France).
Sibling names for Al
Names that share Al's style, for a brother or sister.
