Susan
Shortened English form of Susanna, which came through Greek from the Hebrew Shoshannah, a word meaning 'lily' or 'rose'. Susanna appears in both the Apocrypha and Luke's gospel.
Susan in 2025
Susan was given to 222 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 2,066th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 14,934 babies born.
The history of Susan
Susan reached its highest point in 1955, when 47,483 babies were given the name, ranking 12th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 10th, in 1957.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 1,126,022 babies have been named Susan. Half of them were born before 1956, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
Susan by decade
| Decade | Babies named Susan | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 3,231 | 135 |
| 1890s | 3,617 | 156 |
| 1900s | 3,447 | 206 |
| 1910s | 6,819 | 255 |
| 1920s | 8,414 | 375 |
| 1930s | 21,114 | 86 |
| 1940s | 212,527 | 14 |
| 1950s | 438,469 | 10 |
| 1960s | 288,375 | 11 |
| 1970s | 88,630 | 43 |
| 1980s | 30,706 | 129 |
| 1990s | 10,921 | 357 |
| 2000s | 5,330 | 784 |
| 2010s | 3,061 | 1,422 |
| 2020s | 1,361 | 1,816 |
Where Susan is heading
Susan has fallen 26% over the past decade, from 301 babies in 2015 to 222 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1955 peak — Susan is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Susan
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Susan.