Every #1 Baby Name in America Since 1935

Between 1935 and 2025, only 11 different names took the top spot for American girls and 7 for boys. Some held it for a year or two. Michael held it for 38 straight years, from 1961 to 1998, the longest run in the records we use. For girls the record belongs to Jennifer: 15 years in a row, 1970 to 1984.

Today the titles belong to Olivia (girls, since 2019) and Liam (boys, since 2017), according to the Social Security Administration’s baby-name files.

Girls: every #1 since 1935

Boys: every #1 since 1935

Most years at the top, in total

Counting every year at #1 over these 91 years, not only unbroken runs: Michael (44 years), Jacob (14 years), James (13 years) for boys, and Mary (21 years), Jennifer (15 years), Emily (12 years) for girls.

Why long reigns are over

A #1 name used to mean something different. In the 1950s and 1960s the top boys’ name went to tens of thousands of babies a year, and a name that big could stay ahead for decades. Since the 1990s, parents have spread out over many more names (see why fewer kids share a name), so today’s #1 is given to a far smaller share of babies and can be overtaken by a modest shift in taste. Short reigns, and names trading the title back and forth, are the new normal.

Each year page shows that year’s full top 10, for example 1961 or 2025.

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name files, 1935–2025. Ranks are by number of babies of each sex given the exact spelling.