Popular Names of 1996

The 20 most popular names given to female and to male babies born in 1996, as recorded, with each name’s rank in 2025.

Table 1. Female names, 1996
Rank	Name	Number	Rank in 2025
1	Emily	25,150	34
2	Jessica	24,201	665
3	Ashley	23,678	164
4	Sarah	21,048	90
5	Samantha	20,552	151
6	Taylor	19,155	403
7	Hannah	18,596	56
8	Alexis	16,592	554
9	Rachel	16,121	250
10	Elizabeth	16,003	17
11	Kayla	15,269	364
12	Megan	14,770	889
13	Amanda	13,980	493
14	Brittany	13,797	928
15	Madison	13,412	40
16	Lauren	12,595	401
17	Brianna	11,925	222
18	Victoria	11,859	54
19	Jennifer	11,732	586
20	Stephanie	11,643	557

Table 2. Male names, 1996
Rank	Name	Number	Rank in 2025
1	Michael	38,373	21
2	Matthew	32,077	32
3	Jacob	31,925	43
4	Christopher	30,904	68
5	Joshua	29,175	66
6	Nicholas	27,724	112
7	Tyler	26,956	220
8	Brandon	25,847	261
9	Austin	25,663	113
10	Andrew	25,244	73
11	Daniel	25,128	22
12	Joseph	24,758	29
13	David	23,022	35
14	Zachary	22,369	216
15	John	22,188	23
16	Ryan	21,809	99
17	James	21,165	6
18	William	20,546	9
19	Anthony	20,508	46
20	Justin	20,015	233

Select another year

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.