Born in 1994 · Millennials
Baby names of 1994
The Social Security name files, which cover every name given to at least 5 babies, list 3,717,784 babies born in 1994: 1,785,753 girls and 1,932,031 boys. Jessica and Michael were the most popular names, and 14.5% of all babies got a top-10 name, down from 20.9% in 1984. The name most tied to 1994 is Shaquille: among boys, it was 70× as common that year as in the decades around it.
Quick facts
- Generation
- Millennials
- Born 1981–1996
- Babies on record
- 3,717,784
- 1,785,753 girls · 1,932,031 boys
- Different names
- 15,759
- for girls, plus 10,245 for boys (5+ babies each)
- Top-10 names
- 14.5%
- of babies got one · girls 12.5%, boys 16.3%
Top 10 names of 1994
- Jessica was the #1 name for girls every year from 1993 to 1995.
- Michael was the #1 name for boys every year from 1961 to 1998.
How many babies got a top-10 name?
In 1994, 14.5% 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 1994
These names were far more common in 1994 than in the decades around it: the multiplier compares each name's share of 1994 babies with its average share 6–25 years before and after.
| Name | Sex | Rank | Vs. nearby |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shaquille | Boy | #234 | 70× |
| Khadijah | Girl | #184 | 21× |
| Tevin | Boy | #207 | 21× |
| Devonte | Boy | #279 | 9.4× |
| Kelsey | Girl | #29 | 7.3× |
| Katlyn | Girl | #243 | 6.5× |
| Taylor | Boy | #54 | 6.2× |
| Kaitlin | Girl | #93 | 6.0× |
| Alec | Boy | #109 | 5.7× |
| Brittany | Girl | #7 | 5.7× |
Names that peaked in 1994
Each of these reached its highest share of US babies in 1994, the high point in records going back to 1880. Rank is for 1994.
| Name | Sex | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Tyler | Boy | #5 |
| Marissa | Girl | #53 |
| Mitchell | Boy | #71 |
| Briana | Girl | #68 |
| Tori | Girl | #142 |
| Alejandra | Girl | #145 |
| Darius | Boy | #155 |
| Khadijah | Girl | #184 |
| Jazmine | Girl | #195 |
| Marina | Girl | #218 |
New to the top 1,000 in 1994
Names that made the national top 1,000 for the first time in 1994 (records go back to 1880).
Girls
- Aaliyah1,451 babies
- Aliyah732 babies
- Justice719 babies
- Dalia516 babies
- Kennedy473 babies
- Zhane391 babies
- Mckayla366 babies
- Clarisa323 babies
Boys
- Jaden271 babies
- Keanu195 babies
- Jaylon193 babies
- Daulton178 babies
- Shyheim168 babies
- Markell164 babies
- Menachem164 babies
- Markel162 babies
Where are they now?
Top-100 names of 1994 that have since dropped out of the top 1,000. Ranks are for 1994 and 2025.
Girls
Boys
Every top-100 boys' name from 1994 is still in the 2025 top 1,000.
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