# Social Security Administration API: Get baby name popularity

> Gets yearly U.S. baby-name ranks and reported birth counts for a first name from Social Security data. Ranks cover the top 1,000 names for each sex; counts are given for the years the name is in that top 1,000.

Unofficial. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Social Security Administration.

- Page: https://fous.com/methods/ssa.gov/get-name-popularity
- Method: `ssa.gov/get_name_popularity`, version 1
- Website: ssa.gov
- Returns: name, sex, yearly rank and number of babies
- Effect: read (it gets data and changes nothing)
- Sign-in: none needed
- Cost: 1 credit per completed run (1¢ with pay as you go); failed runs are free
- Verified: Nov 2, 2026

## Inputs

| Field | Type | Required | In the run below | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `sex` | string | no | `"male"` | Birth-record sex, such as female. Defaults to the more common sex for this name. One of "female", "male". |
| `to_year` | integer | no | `1993` | Last birth year to include, such as 2025. Defaults to the latest available year. |
| `from_year` | integer | no | `1990` | First birth year to include, such as 1990. Defaults to 1990. Default 1990. |
| `first_name` | string | yes | `"James"` | First name to check, such as Olivia. |

## Output

From a run on Oct 31, 2026, shortened. Its input:

```json
{
  "sex": "male",
  "to_year": 1993,
  "from_year": 1990,
  "first_name": "James"
}
```

Its output:

```json
{
  "sex": "male",
  "name": "James",
  "years": [
    {
      "year": 1990,
      "page_link": "https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/",
      "popularity_rank": 8,
      "number_of_babies": 32359
    },
    {
      "year": 1991,
      "page_link": "https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/",
      "popularity_rank": 7,
      "number_of_babies": 30514
    },
    {
      "year": 1992,
      "page_link": "https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/",
      "popularity_rank": 9,
      "number_of_babies": 28513
    }
  ]
}
```

## Run it

From code, with a Fous API key in `FOUS_API_KEY`; the answer's `data` holds the output:

```bash
curl https://api.fous.com/v1/runs \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FOUS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"method":"ssa.gov/get_name_popularity","input":{"sex":"male","to_year":1993,"from_year":1990,"first_name":"James"}}'
```

From an AI agent connected to the Fous MCP server: its `run` with the same method and input. To connect one, give it `set up https://fous.com/SKILL.md`.

## Ask your agent

- How has the name Harper ranked for girls each year since 2000, and how many babies got that name?
- Pull the SSA baby name data for the boy's name Liam from 1980 through 2010 — yearly rank and birth counts.
- Was Jaden ever a top 1,000 name for girls? Show me the ranks by year.
- I'm thinking of naming my son Theodore. Can you show me how popular it's been each year since 1990?
- Using Social Security records, give me the yearly popularity of Ashley as a female name between 1960 and 2000, including the number of babies.

## Input schema

```json
{
  "type": "object",
  "required": [
    "first_name"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "sex": {
      "enum": [
        "female",
        "male"
      ],
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Birth-record sex, such as female. Defaults to the more common sex for this name."
    },
    "to_year": {
      "type": "integer",
      "minimum": 1880,
      "description": "Last birth year to include, such as 2025. Defaults to the latest available year."
    },
    "from_year": {
      "type": "integer",
      "default": 1990,
      "minimum": 1880,
      "description": "First birth year to include, such as 1990. Defaults to 1990."
    },
    "first_name": {
      "type": "string",
      "minLength": 1,
      "description": "First name to check, such as Olivia."
    }
  }
}
```

## Output schema

```json
{
  "type": "object",
  "required": [
    "name",
    "sex",
    "years"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "sex": {
      "enum": [
        "female",
        "male"
      ],
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Birth-record sex used for the rankings."
    },
    "name": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Name as reported by Social Security."
    },
    "years": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "type": "object",
        "required": [
          "year",
          "popularity_rank",
          "number_of_babies",
          "page_link"
        ],
        "properties": {
          "year": {
            "type": "integer",
            "description": "Birth year."
          },
          "page_link": {
            "type": "string",
            "description": "Social Security page for looking up this year's baby-name popularity."
          },
          "popularity_rank": {
            "type": [
              "integer",
              "null"
            ],
            "description": "Rank among names of this sex, or null if not in the top 1,000."
          },
          "number_of_babies": {
            "type": [
              "integer",
              "null"
            ],
            "description": "Reported births with this name and sex, or null when unavailable."
          }
        },
        "additionalProperties": false
      },
      "description": "Annual popularity in chronological order. A missing count means the name was outside the top 1,000 for that year."
    }
  },
  "additionalProperties": false
}
```

## See more

- [Social Security Administration API: List top baby names](https://fous.com/methods/ssa.gov/list-top-baby-names.md): Lists the ranked top baby names and birth counts for a U.S. birth year, nationwide or for one state.
- [World Bank API: Compare countries by a statistic](https://fous.com/methods/worldbank.org/compare-countries.md): Ranks countries by a World Development Indicators statistic for a given year, or for the latest year with broad country coverage. Regional aggregates and countries without data for that year are left out.
- [BLS API: Get occupation wages](https://fous.com/methods/bls.gov/get-occupation-wages.md): Finds the latest published BLS pay and employment for an occupation in the US, a state, or a metro area, and compares it with the national median.
- [World Bank API: Get country statistic](https://fous.com/methods/data.worldbank.org/get-country-statistic.md): Looks up a World Bank statistic for a country and returns its annual values and latest value for the selected years.
- [World Health Organization API: Get country health statistics](https://fous.com/methods/who.int/get-country-health-statistics.md): Gets the latest WHO value of a health statistic for a country, with sex-specific values, the regional value for the same year, and up to 10 years of history.
- [BLS API: Get occupation outlook](https://fous.com/methods/bls.gov/get-occupation-outlook.md): Finds the best-matching Occupational Outlook Handbook profile for a job title and returns its pay, entry requirements, jobs and 10-year outlook.
- [Fortune API: Get company Fortune 500 rank](https://fous.com/methods/fortune.com/get-company-rank.md): Gets a company's Fortune 500 or Fortune 1000 rank and headline figures for a list year. CEO, ticker and website come from the current company profile and may not reflect a historical year.
- [FIFA API: Get world ranking](https://fous.com/methods/fifa.com/get-world-ranking.md): Gets the latest official FIFA men's or women's national-team ranking, with points and movement since the previous ranking. Unranked teams are excluded.
- [All Social Security Administration methods](https://fous.com/methods/ssa.gov.md)