Born in 1996 · Millennials
Baby names of 1996
The Social Security name files, which cover every name given to at least 5 babies, list 3,647,307 babies born in 1996: 1,753,007 girls and 1,894,300 boys. Emily and Michael were the most popular names, and 13.6% of all babies got a top-10 name, down from 20.2% in 1986. The name most tied to 1996 is Alexus: among girls, it was 12× as common that year as in the decades around it.
Quick facts
- Generation
- Millennials
- Born 1981–1996
- Babies on record
- 3,647,307
- 1,753,007 girls · 1,894,300 boys
- Different names
- 15,894
- for girls, plus 10,536 for boys (5+ babies each)
- Top-10 names
- 13.6%
- of babies got one · girls 11.5%, boys 15.5%
Top 10 names of 1996
- Emily was the #1 name for girls every year from 1996 to 2007.
- Michael was the #1 name for boys every year from 1961 to 1998.
How many babies got a top-10 name?
In 1996, 13.6% 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 1996
These names were far more common in 1996 than in the decades around it: the multiplier compares each name's share of 1996 babies with its average share 6–25 years before and after.
| Name | Sex | Rank | Vs. nearby |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexus | Girl | #178 | 12× |
| Deja | Girl | #182 | 11× |
| Bailey | Boy | #200 | 10× |
| Shania | Girl | #171 | 10× |
| Katlyn | Girl | #236 | 7.4× |
| Dakota | Boy | #58 | 7.0× |
| Malik | Boy | #97 | 6.6× |
| Alec | Boy | #117 | 6.4× |
| Cheyenne | Girl | #68 | 6.3× |
| Shelby | Girl | #35 | 6.2× |
Names that peaked in 1996
Each of these reached its highest share of US babies in 1996, the high point in records going back to 1880. Rank is for 1996.
| Name | Sex | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Christian | Boy | #24 |
| Haley | Girl | #30 |
| Savannah | Girl | #43 |
| Brooke | Girl | #45 |
| Tristan | Boy | #68 |
| Mariah | Girl | #63 |
| Cheyenne | Girl | #68 |
| Breanna | Girl | #74 |
| Malik | Boy | #97 |
| Jorge | Boy | #113 |
New to the top 1,000 in 1996
Names that made the national top 1,000 for the first time in 1996 (records go back to 1880).
Girls
- Tamia483 babies
- Moesha426 babies
- Odalys322 babies
- Yamilex301 babies
- Zaria289 babies
- Mireya283 babies
- Alize282 babies
- Xena279 babies
Boys
- Keshawn224 babies
- Keyshawn187 babies
- Trystan182 babies
- Braeden173 babies
- Brayan166 babies
- Shamar161 babies
- Keion159 babies
- Raquan157 babies
Where are they now?
Top-100 names of 1996 that have since dropped out of the top 1,000. Ranks are for 1996 and 2025.
Girls
Boys
Every top-100 boys' name from 1996 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