Popular Names of 1987

The 20 most popular names given to female and to male babies born in 1987, as recorded, with each name’s rank in 2025.

Table 1. Female names, 1987
Rank	Name	Number	Rank in 2025
1	Jessica	55,992	665
2	Ashley	54,856	164
3	Amanda	41,786	493
4	Jennifer	32,710	586
5	Sarah	27,894	90
6	Stephanie	22,402	557
7	Brittany	22,231	928
8	Nicole	20,286	383
9	Heather	18,982	1,264
10	Elizabeth	18,608	17
11	Samantha	17,944	151
12	Megan	17,823	889
13	Melissa	17,674	420
14	Danielle	17,010	549
15	Amber	16,749	520
16	Lauren	16,710	401
17	Rachel	15,646	250
18	Tiffany	14,742	880
19	Emily	14,710	34
20	Christina	13,816	770

Table 2. Male names, 1987
Rank	Name	Number	Rank in 2025
1	Michael	63,664	21
2	Christopher	54,493	68
3	Matthew	46,511	32
4	Joshua	40,002	66
5	David	36,795	35
6	Andrew	36,206	73
7	Daniel	35,876	22
8	James	32,659	6
9	Justin	31,491	233
10	Robert	30,237	92
11	John	29,555	23
12	Joseph	28,516	29
13	Ryan	28,490	99
14	Brandon	24,823	261
15	William	24,202	9
16	Nicholas	23,247	112
17	Anthony	23,127	46
18	Jonathan	23,119	89
19	Kevin	20,421	221
20	Brian	20,362	339

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As recorded on the Social Security card application. Names given to fewer than five babies of a sex in a year are not published, so the file is a floor.