Born in 1997 · Gen Z
Baby names of 1997
The Social Security name files, which cover every name given to at least 5 babies, list 3,625,850 babies born in 1997: 1,740,710 girls and 1,885,140 boys. Emily and Michael were the most popular names, and 13.4% of all babies got a top-10 name, down from 20.1% in 1987. The name most tied to 1997 is Bailey: among boys, it was 17× as common that year as in the decades around it.
Quick facts
- Generation
- Gen Z
- Born 1997–2012
- Babies on record
- 3,625,850
- 1,740,710 girls · 1,885,140 boys
- Different names
- 16,163
- for girls, plus 10,814 for boys (5+ babies each)
- Top-10 names
- 13.4%
- of babies got one · girls 11.3%, boys 15.3%
Top 10 names of 1997
- 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 1997, 13.4% 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 1997
These names were far more common in 1997 than in the decades around it: the multiplier compares each name's share of 1997 babies with its average share 6–25 years before and after.
| Name | Sex | Rank | Vs. nearby |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bailey | Boy | #151 | 17× |
| Alexus | Girl | #183 | 13× |
| Deja | Girl | #216 | 9.7× |
| Katlyn | Girl | #242 | 7.6× |
| Dakota | Boy | #66 | 6.6× |
| Cheyenne | Girl | #68 | 6.3× |
| Alec | Boy | #123 | 6.1× |
| Cierra | Girl | #180 | 6.1× |
| Taylor | Girl | #7 | 6.0× |
| Michaela | Girl | #100 | 6.0× |
Names that peaked in 1997
Each of these reached its highest share of US babies in 1997, the high point in records going back to 1880. Rank is for 1997.
| Name | Sex | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Jordan | Girl | #40 |
| Sabrina | Girl | #53 |
| Antonio | Boy | #75 |
| Tanner | Boy | #82 |
| Michaela | Girl | #100 |
| Angelica | Girl | #101 |
| Grant | Boy | #115 |
| Devon | Boy | #119 |
| Francisco | Boy | #133 |
| Bailey | Boy | #151 |
New to the top 1,000 in 1997
Names that made the national top 1,000 for the first time in 1997 (records go back to 1880).
Girls
- Yulissa612 babies
- Anahi375 babies
- Reilly360 babies
- Aylin347 babies
- Julisa292 babies
- Salma291 babies
- Madisyn284 babies
- Erykah279 babies
Boys
- Kobe350 babies
- Gianni240 babies
- Jaret214 babies
- Koby196 babies
- Nash196 babies
- Rylan169 babies
- Jaxon164 babies
- Giovanny159 babies
Where are they now?
Top-100 names of 1997 that have since dropped out of the top 1,000. Ranks are for 1997 and 2025.
Girls
Boys
Every top-100 boys' name from 1997 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