Popular Names of 1991

The 20 most popular names given to female and to male babies born in 1991, as recorded, with each name’s rank in 2025. Samantha peaked among human females this year, at 5th.

Table 1. Female names, 1991
Rank	Name	Number	Rank in 2025
1	Ashley	43,477	164
2	Jessica	43,398	665
3	Brittany	29,093	928
4	Amanda	28,896	493
5	Samantha	25,651	151
6	Sarah	25,233	90
7	Stephanie	22,775	557
8	Jennifer	20,673	586
9	Elizabeth	20,395	17
10	Emily	20,311	34
11	Megan	19,278	889
12	Kayla	18,545	364
13	Lauren	18,412	401
14	Rachel	16,344	250
15	Nicole	16,046	383
16	Amber	14,992	520
17	Danielle	13,619	549
18	Chelsea	13,509	851
19	Courtney	13,441	2,335
20	Melissa	13,348	420

Table 2. Male names, 1991
Rank	Name	Number	Rank in 2025
1	Michael	60,810	21
2	Christopher	47,111	68
3	Matthew	41,647	32
4	Joshua	41,226	66
5	Andrew	31,539	73
6	Daniel	30,935	22
7	James	30,514	6
8	David	30,416	35
9	Joseph	29,840	29
10	John	27,809	23
11	Ryan	27,536	99
12	Nicholas	27,357	112
13	Robert	26,839	92
14	Justin	26,797	233
15	Brandon	26,021	261
16	Tyler	25,209	220
17	Jacob	25,200	43
18	Anthony	24,447	46
19	William	23,860	9
20	Jonathan	22,975	89

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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.