Born in 1988 · Millennials
Baby names of 1988
The Social Security name files, which cover every name given to at least 5 babies, list 3,695,137 babies born in 1988: 1,780,854 girls and 1,914,283 boys. Jessica and Michael were the most popular names, and 19.4% of all babies got a top-10 name, down from 20.7% in 1978. The name most tied to 1988 is Krystle: among girls, it was 18× as common that year as in the decades around it.
Quick facts
- Generation
- Millennials
- Born 1981–1996
- Babies on record
- 3,695,137
- 1,780,854 girls · 1,914,283 boys
- Different names
- 13,883
- for girls, plus 8,495 for boys (5+ babies each)
- Top-10 names
- 19.4%
- of babies got one · girls 17.3%, boys 21.4%
Top 10 names of 1988
- Jessica was the #1 name for girls every year from 1985 to 1990.
- Michael was the #1 name for boys every year from 1961 to 1998.
How many babies got a top-10 name?
In 1988, 19.4% of babies were given one of that year's 10 most popular names. Across all years, that share fell from 29.0% in 1935 to 7.5% in 2025.
Names that sound like 1988
These names were far more common in 1988 than in the decades around it: the multiplier compares each name's share of 1988 babies with its average share 6–25 years before and after.
| Name | Sex | Rank | Vs. nearby |
|---|---|---|---|
| Krystle | Girl | #264 | 18× |
| Brittani | Girl | #285 | 10× |
| Shanice | Girl | #270 | 9.9× |
| Brittany | Girl | #6 | 9.7× |
| Brittney | Girl | #52 | 9.0× |
| Whitney | Girl | #39 | 9.0× |
| Chelsey | Girl | #149 | 6.1× |
| Chelsea | Girl | #33 | 5.8× |
| Ashley | Girl | #2 | 5.7× |
| Sheena | Girl | #290 | 5.5× |
Names that peaked in 1988
Each of these reached its highest share of US babies in 1988, the high point in records going back to 1880. Rank is for 1988.
| Name | Sex | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Justin | Boy | #7 |
| Tiffany | Girl | #13 |
| Katherine | Girl | #27 |
| Caitlin | Girl | #44 |
| Cory | Boy | #59 |
| Casey | Boy | #83 |
| Sasha | Girl | #147 |
| Bryant | Boy | #164 |
| Simone | Girl | #311 |
| Jaleesa | Girl | #345 |
New to the top 1,000 in 1988
Names that made the national top 1,000 for the first time in 1988 (records go back to 1880).
Girls
- Shanice938 babies
- Jaleesa718 babies
- Jalisa520 babies
- Whitley508 babies
- Deja286 babies
- Taja259 babies
- Chelsi257 babies
- Genesis247 babies
Boys
- Camron142 babies
- Colten134 babies
- Codey130 babies
- Arsenio124 babies
- Jaquan117 babies
- Geraldo115 babies
- Kelby114 babies
- Jamarcus110 babies
Where are they now?
Top-100 names of 1988 that have since dropped out of the top 1,000. Ranks are for 1988 and 2025.
Girls
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data