Golden
Masculine · “made of gold”
Golden is given to both — 2,937 boys and 2,292 girls since 1880. See Golden as a girl nameSee other names given to both
Golden descends from the Old English gold — and the metal's name may come from a root meaning yellow, shared with 'yellow' itself.
How old is the name Golden?
Golden was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Golden alive today was born around 1943, making them about 82 years old. About 1,400 people named Golden are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Golden most popular?
Golden peaked in 1898, reaching #485 nationally. Today it ranks #2572, 2,087 places below that high. See the whole 1898 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From gold to Golden
The story of Golden
Gold, yellow and gall all appear to descend from one root about brightness and color, which is a rather good family. Golden is an English surname and a Yiddish one from the same word. It entered American given-name use in the nineteenth century and appears in the registers in current use.
Meaning
made of gold, golden
From the Old English gold with the -en adjectival suffix. Gold descends from a root generally read as 'yellow' or 'to shine', the same root behind 'yellow' and 'gall'. It is also an English and Yiddish surname. The etymology is documented.
How the name formed
- gold
- golden
- Golden
Related forms: Golden · Goldene
Pronouncing Golden
GOHL-dun
Two syllables, stress on the first. It is a homophone of the ordinary English adjective.
Nicknames for Golden
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 192051 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #485reached in 1898
- Change vs 2022
- +13.3%51 in 2025, from 45
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Golden in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Golden in German — related form
- Goldene in Yiddish — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Florida.
Goldens among us
people named Golden are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 33,492 born in 2025 was named Golden
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Golden sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Golden is headed
Golden should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Golden beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Golden in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- That gold, yellow and gall share a root is a first-rate etymology.
- Goldie is available as a warm short form with a real record.
- Two clean syllables with no pronunciation risk.
- It is an ordinary English adjective and carries a claim.
- It reads as a surname to many people.
- It is period-coded to earlier American generations.
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What they receive
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Golden
Masculine · #2572 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Goldens are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,400 people named Golden are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Golden in 2025?
- Golden ranks #2572 among US boy names in 2025, with 51 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Golden?
- About 1 in every 33,492 US boys born in 2025 was named Golden — 51 in all.
- Will my child share the name Golden with classmates?
- Golden will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Golden
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Ripp#2572 · Efraim#2572 · Willem#2572 · Duane#2572 · Nikolaos#2572 · Nicolai#2572 · Zair#2572 · Parth#2572
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Golden? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Golden and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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