Born in 1998 · Gen Z
Baby names of 1998
The Social Security name files, which cover every name given to at least 5 babies, list 3,678,315 babies born in 1998: 1,766,949 girls and 1,911,366 boys. Emily and Michael were the most popular names, and 13.0% of all babies got a top-10 name, down from 19.4% in 1988. The name most tied to 1998 is Bailey: among boys, it was 18× as common that year as in the decades around it.
Quick facts
- Generation
- Gen Z
- Born 1997–2012
- Babies on record
- 3,678,315
- 1,766,949 girls · 1,911,366 boys
- Different names
- 16,601
- for girls, plus 11,311 for boys (5+ babies each)
- Top-10 names
- 13.0%
- of babies got one · girls 11.2%, boys 14.7%
Top 10 names of 1998
- 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 1998, 13.0% 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 1998
These names were far more common in 1998 than in the decades around it: the multiplier compares each name's share of 1998 babies with its average share 6–25 years before and after.
| Name | Sex | Rank | Vs. nearby |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bailey | Boy | #154 | 18× |
| Alexus | Girl | #184 | 14× |
| Deja | Girl | #245 | 8.9× |
| Shania | Girl | #286 | 7.0× |
| Katlyn | Girl | #262 | 6.8× |
| Jarod | Boy | #275 | 6.4× |
| Alec | Boy | #112 | 6.3× |
| Cierra | Girl | #181 | 6.1× |
| Dakota | Boy | #72 | 5.9× |
| Mikayla | Girl | #82 | 5.8× |
Names that peaked in 1998
Each of these reached its highest share of US babies in 1998, the high point in records going back to 1880. Rank is for 1998.
| Name | Sex | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Jacob | Boy | #2 |
| Alexis | Girl | #6 |
| Jared | Boy | #51 |
| Trevor | Boy | #58 |
| Devin | Boy | #62 |
| Gabrielle | Girl | #47 |
| Madeline | Girl | #50 |
| Sierra | Girl | #51 |
| Bailey | Girl | #60 |
| Spencer | Boy | #84 |
New to the top 1,000 in 1998
Names that made the national top 1,000 for the first time in 1998 (records go back to 1880).
Girls
- Ally636 babies
- Kamryn448 babies
- Calista323 babies
- Myah273 babies
- Reanna273 babies
- Madilyn265 babies
- Felicity260 babies
- Ireland260 babies
Boys
- Tyrese300 babies
- Tyrek243 babies
- Zion242 babies
- Declan234 babies
- Savion225 babies
- Kamron217 babies
- Jadon212 babies
- Tyrique212 babies
Where are they now?
Top-100 names of 1998 that have since dropped out of the top 1,000. Ranks are for 1998 and 2025.
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