Top 200 Most Popular Baby Names in America: Boys and Girls

Author: Social Security
Published: 6 May 2016 - Updated: 20 Sep 2026
Publication Type: Informative

Table of Contents:
Synopsis - Definition - Overview - FAQs - Insights, Updates - Related Content

Synopsis

This list draws directly from U.S. Social Security Administration data, which serves as America's definitive source for baby naming trends. The analysis compiles the 200 most frequently given names for boys and girls from over 23 million recorded births, making it authoritative for parents, researchers, and educators seeking evidence-based naming patterns. The data's authority stems from Social Security's unique position processing all infant name registrations during card applications, providing an unfiltered snapshot of actual parental naming choices across all demographics and regions of the country.*

At a Glance

• 1 - Mary, once the most common girls' name for decades, ranks only 115th here with 15,998 births.
• 2 - The figures are a snapshot taken from Social Security card applications as of the end of February 2016.
• 3 - Several names appear on both lists, including Riley, Peyton, Avery and Hayden, ranked separately for boys and girls.
• 4 - The lists run deep, with the 200th boys' name, Ryker, recording 11,857 births and the 200th girls' name, Norah, 9,554.

Topic Definition

Popular Baby Names

Popular baby names are the given names most frequently chosen by parents for their newborns over a particular period, usually ranked by how many children received each name. In the United States, the definitive record comes from the Social Security Administration, which captures the name of nearly every child at birth through the Social Security card application, giving an unusually complete and unfiltered picture of what families are actually naming their kids rather than a sample or estimate. Because the data is gathered the same way year after year and stretches back to 1880, it lets parents, researchers, and educators trace how tastes shift over time, watching enduring classics hold their ground while newer fashions rise and fade. In short, a list of popular baby names is both a practical guide for parents weighing their options and a small mirror of the culture, reflecting the trends, influences, and generational currents of the moment.

Overview

The U.S. Social Security website offers lists of baby names for each year since 1880. Social Security started compiling baby name lists in 1997, with names dating to back to 1880. At the time of a child's birth, parents supply the name to the agency when applying for a child's Social Security card, thus making Social Security America's source for the most popular baby names.

The following table shows the 200 most popular given names for American male and female babies. For each rank and sex, the table shows the name and the number of occurrences of that name.

The 200 most popular names were taken from 12,181,467 male births and 11,627,861 female births.

Frequently Asked Questions

NOTE: Researched FAQs by Disabled World (DW)

How far back do the Social Security baby name lists reach

The agency publishes annual lists stretching back to 1880, although record keeping was less complete in the earliest decades before Social Security numbers were widely issued. Coverage becomes close to universal from the late 1930s onward.

Is there a minimum number of births before a name appears in the data

Yes, a name must be given to at least five babies of the same sex in a given year to be included in the published files. Names below that threshold are withheld to protect privacy.

Can you look up how popular your own name was in the year you were born

Yes, the Social Security Administration offers a lookup that returns a name's rank and count for any birth year in its records. It is a simple way to see whether a name was rising, peaking or fading when you were born.

Does Social Security publish name rankings by state

Yes, state level lists are available alongside the national rankings, and they often differ noticeably. Regional culture, language and settlement patterns can push a name far higher in one state than in the country as a whole.

Are middle names counted in these rankings

No, the lists are built from first names only as recorded on the card application. A name used mainly as a middle name will therefore be undercounted or absent entirely.

How are hyphens, spaces and accent marks handled in the data

The agency records letters only, so punctuation and diacritical marks are stripped out and longer names are cut to fifteen characters. Two spellings that differ only by an accent or a hyphen are pooled into a single entry.

Why is older baby name data still useful to parents today

Rankings move slowly near the top, so a list from several years ago still identifies the names a child is most likely to share with classmates. It also shows which names were already climbing, which is often a better guide to the near future than one current year alone.

Why do some parents deliberately avoid names in the top 200

Many families want a name their child will not share with two or three others in the same classroom, so they treat the list as something to check against rather than choose from. Others use it the opposite way, picking a familiar name that is easy to spell and pronounce.

Insights, Analysis, and Developments

Editorial Note: Baby names carry significance that extends far beyond a simple label. For prospective parents - including those with disabilities who may have specific cultural, familial, or personal naming priorities - understanding what names are trending offers practical insight into how their child's name will fit within their generation's social landscape. While the Social Security data reflects aggregate choices from nearly a decade ago, the patterns revealed continue to influence contemporary naming decisions, and historical data serves as a foundation for understanding the cyclical nature of name popularity, from classic choices like Jacob and Emma that maintain steady appeal across years to newer entries like Harper and Jayden that signal shifting preferences in American families.*

* Editorial additions by Ian C. Langtree.