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Top Baby Names of the 1990s

Across the 1990s, US parents gave these names most often. The lists below rank the top 25 girls’ and boys’ names by the number of babies who received each name over the decade, from US Social Security Administration data (about 18 million girls and 19.5 million boys recorded).

The most popular names of the 1990s were Jessica for girls and Michael for boys.

Top 25 girls’ names of the 1990s

  1. #1 Jessica 303,136
  2. #2 Ashley 301,820
  3. #3 Emily 237,262
  4. #4 Sarah 224,423
  5. #5 Samantha 224,023
  6. #6 Amanda 191,132
  7. #7 Brittany 190,826
  8. #8 Elizabeth 172,693
  9. #9 Taylor 169,040
  10. #10 Megan 160,375
  11. #11 Hannah 158,818
  12. #12 Kayla 155,893
  13. #13 Lauren 153,590
  14. #14 Stephanie 149,836
  15. #15 Rachel 149,167
  16. #16 Jennifer 148,041
  17. #17 Nicole 136,103
  18. #18 Alexis 131,199
  19. #19 Victoria 117,475
  20. #20 Amber 115,605
  21. #21 Alyssa 115,255
  22. #22 Courtney 113,290
  23. #23 Rebecca 109,721
  24. #24 Danielle 109,597
  25. #25 Jasmine 105,322

Top 25 boys’ names of the 1990s

  1. #1 Michael 462,466
  2. #2 Christopher 360,287
  3. #3 Matthew 351,682
  4. #4 Joshua 329,192
  5. #5 Jacob 298,415
  6. #6 Nicholas 275,329
  7. #7 Andrew 272,941
  8. #8 Daniel 272,360
  9. #9 Tyler 262,320
  10. #10 Joseph 260,751
  11. #11 Brandon 259,420
  12. #12 David 253,711
  13. #13 James 244,980
  14. #14 Ryan 241,248
  15. #15 John 240,151
  16. #16 Zachary 225,290
  17. #17 Justin 220,135
  18. #18 William 217,822
  19. #19 Anthony 216,231
  20. #20 Robert 205,459
  21. #21 Jonathan 197,503
  22. #22 Austin 190,140
  23. #23 Alexander 183,952
  24. #24 Kyle 180,218
  25. #25 Kevin 165,232

Counts are US births recorded by the Social Security Administration. Numbers show babies given each name across the whole decade.

Frequently asked questions

What was the most popular girls’ name in the 1990s?

Jessica was the most popular girls’ name in the 1990s, according to US Social Security Administration data.

What was the most popular boys’ name in the 1990s?

Michael was the most popular boys’ name in the 1990s.

Where does this ranking come from?

These rankings are compiled from US Social Security Administration records of names given to babies born in the United States, counted separately for girls and boys.

See this year’s most popular names →