ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 👧As Girl Name 1918 First Year 2026 Last Year 2011 Peak Year #2017 Peak Rank 2K Total Count 53 Years Active 👦As Boy Name 1899 First Year 2026 Last Year 1916 Peak Year #984 Peak Rank 2K Total Count 107 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Berlin What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Berlin is the capital and largest city of Germany. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the highest population within its city limits of any city in the European Union. The city is also one of the states of Germany, being the third-smallest state in the country by area. Berlin is surrounded by the state of Brandenburg, bordering Brandenburg's capital Potsdam to the southwest. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * Various 📜Etymology Berlin lies in northeastern Germany, in an area formerly settled by Slavs which thus exhibits many (Germanized) Slavic-derived placenames to this day (see below). The word Berlin also has its roots in the language of the West Slavs , and may be related to the Old Polabian stem berl-/birl- ("swamp"). Of Berlin's twelve boroughs , five bear a Slavic-derived name— Pankow , Steglitz-Zehlendorf , Marzahn-Hellersdorf , Treptow-Köpenick and Spandau ; furthermore, across the city's 96 neighborhoods, there are 22 which bear a Slavic-rooted name— Altglienicke , Alt-Treptow , Britz , Buch , Buckow , Gato 🏛️Origin & history Main article: History of Berlin For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Berlin . [![Wikipedia thumbnail for Berlin](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f7/Museumsinsel_Berlin_Juli_2021_1_%28cropped%29_b.jpg/330px-Museumsinsel_Berlin_Juli_2021_1_%28cropped%29_b.jpg?utm_source=en.wikipedia.org&utm_campaign=api&utm_content=thumbnail)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin) 📖 ## The Story of Berlin ### As a girl name American parents first put Berlin on the record books as a girl name in 1918, with 10 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2011, when 97 Berlins were born — ranking #2,017 that year. The 2010s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 40% of all recorded Berlins. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #3,042 among girl names with 53 births, gradually falling (-7%). In total, more than 2K Berlins have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s. ### As a boy name The earliest SSA record of Berlin as a boy name dates back to 1899, when 5 babies received it. 1916 was its biggest year on record, with 42 newborns named Berlin — #984 in the national rankings. The 1920s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 21% of all recorded Berlins. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #4,325 among boy names with 24 births, rising sharply (+41% over the past five years). In total, more than 2K Berlins have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1890s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time Girls Boys ## Popularity by State 👧 Girls 👦 Boys ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🎶 ## Names that sound like Berlin Phonetically similar names — useful when Berlin is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Burlin](/burlin) * Birling * Burling * Berling * [Berline](/berline) * Purlin * Perlin * Ballin * [Bruin](/bruin) * [Blin](/blin) * [Brin](/brin) * [Brien](/brien) Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Berlin What does the name Berlin mean? Berlin is the capital and largest city of Germany. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the highest population within its city limits of any city in the European Union. The city is also one of the states of Germany, being the third-smallest state in the country by area. Berlin is surrounded by the state of Brandenburg, bordering Brandenburg's capital Potsdam to the southwest. What is the origin of the name Berlin? Berlin has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Various. How popular is Berlin in 2026? In 2026, Berlin ranks #3,042 among girls' names in the U.S., with 53 babies given the name that year. When was Berlin most popular? Berlin reached its peak popularity in 2011, ranking #2,017 that year with 97 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Berlin most popular? Berlin has historically been most popular in Utah, Oregon, Colorado. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Berlin. Is Berlin a unisex name? Yes — Berlin is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 53% of Berlins assigned female and 47% assigned male historically. What names go well with Berlin? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Berlin include Mattye, Armilda, Dasie. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names ### 👧 Similar Girl Names [👧MattyePeak #2018](/mattye)[👧ArmildaPeak #2018](/armilda)[👧DasiePeak #2018](/dasie)[👧EusebiaPeak #2018](/eusebia) ### 👦 Similar Boy Names [👦OkeyPeak #984](/okey)[👦HughiePeak #984](/hughie)[👦AbelardoPeak #984](/abelardo)[👦MichialPeak #984](/michial) ## About the name Berlin Berlin is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1918 and has accumulated 2K births in the dataset. Berlin's peak popularity came in 2011 when it ranked #2,017\. Use the chart and map above to compare Berlin's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 2011 → ](/year/2011) * [ Names of the 2010s → ](/decade/2010s) * [ Names starting with "B" → ](/letter/b) * [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Browse unisex names → ](/names/unisex) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.