Newell vs Newt
American parents have registered 3,319 Newells since 1880, against 852 Newts. But in 2025 it was Newt that was commoner, 12 babies to fewer than five.
Babies given each name, 1880–2025
Newell Newt
Each line is every baby given the name that year, girls and boys added together — the only count that means the same thing for both names. A line breaks where the name fell below five babies in a year — the point at which the SSA stops publishing it — rather than being drawn through a figure nobody published. A single published year in a gap shows as a dot.
Who was ahead
Of the 135 years in which either name was published, Newell for 103 years and Newt for 32 years. The lead changed hands 18 times.
- 1884–1886 Newell ahead
- 1887–1891 Newt ahead
- 1899–1999 Newell ahead, apart from 2 short spells
- 2010–2025 Newt ahead
13 shorter spells of a year or two are folded into the spans above rather than listed separately.
Side by side
| Newell | Newt | |
|---|---|---|
| Total US births | 3,319 | 852 |
| Most in one year | 105 | 20 |
| Babies in 2025 | under 5 | 12 |
| Estimated living today | 860 | 300 |
| Median age today | 69 | 10 |
| Peak year | 1916 | 1914 |
| Best rank | 593rd boys | 1,342nd boys |
| Rank in 2025 | unranked | 6,803rd |
| First recorded | 1881 | 1880 |
| Girls / boys | 79 / 3,240 | 0 / 852 |
A rank is a position within one sex’s list for one year, so the two rank rows are not subtracted from one another and the winning column is not marked on them. The living figure is a life-table estimate, not a count.
Which name is older
Half of the Newells alive today are over 69; half the Newts are over 10. That is 59 years between them: two names in use at the same time, worn by two different generations.
Compare something else
Related comparisons
Social Security Administration birth records, 1880–2025, public domain. Full histories: Newell and Newt.