Walden
Boy name · #3187 in 2025 · Very rare
Walden is currently the #3187 boy name in the United States — 37 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #2966, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 48,649 boys born in 2025 was named Walden.
The 117-year story
Walden first appears in the Social Security records in 1908, when 5 boys received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2023, with 55 babies and a rank of #2441. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Walden per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Walden against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Walden in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Walden is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Walden will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Walden is most common
State-level data for Walden is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Names like Walden
Statistically, parents drawn to Walden tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Tilden, Yeiden, Golden, Xayden, and Whitten.
TildenYeidenGoldenXaydenWhittenJeydenKeydenXaiden
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Walden | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 37 | #3181 |
| 2024 | 38 | #3161 |
| 2023 | 55 | #2441 |
| 2022 | 36 | #3278 |
| 2021 | 31 | #3582 |
| 2020 | 44 | #2759 |
| 2019 | 47 | #2694 |
| 2018 | 54 | #2417 |
| 2017 | 46 | #2672 |
| 2016 | 40 | #2935 |
| 2015 | 39 | #2966 |
| 2014 | 28 | #3693 |
| 2013 | 39 | #2895 |
| 2012 | 21 | #4533 |
| 2011 | 18 | #4983 |
| 2010 | 18 | #5047 |
| 2009 | 7 | #9864 |
| 2008 | 16 | #5487 |
| 2007 | 12 | #6622 |
| 2006 | 9 | #7998 |
| 2005 | 8 | #8299 |
| 2004 | 5 | #11356 |
| 2003 | 8 | #7831 |
| 2002 | 5 | #10667 |
| 2001 | 6 | #9243 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Walden a popular boy name?
Walden ranked #3187 among boys in 2025 with 37 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #2966.
When was the name Walden most popular?
Walden peaked in 2023, when 55 American boys received the name (ranked #2441 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Walden?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 48,649 newborn American boys was named Walden. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.