Born in 1999 · Gen Z
Baby names of 1999
The Social Security name files, which cover every name given to at least 5 babies, list 3,693,973 babies born in 1999: 1,773,823 girls and 1,920,150 boys. Emily and Jacob were the most popular names, and 12.5% of all babies got a top-10 name, down from 18.7% in 1989. The name most tied to 1999 is Bailey: among boys, it was 19× as common that year as in the decades around it.
Quick facts
- Generation
- Gen Z
- Born 1997–2012
- Babies on record
- 3,693,973
- 1,773,823 girls · 1,920,150 boys
- Different names
- 16,947
- for girls, plus 11,614 for boys (5+ babies each)
- Top-10 names
- 12.5%
- of babies got one · girls 10.7%, boys 14.1%
Top 10 names of 1999
- Emily was the #1 name for girls every year from 1996 to 2007.
- Jacob was the #1 name for boys every year from 1999 to 2012.
How many babies got a top-10 name?
In 1999, 12.5% 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 1999
These names were far more common in 1999 than in the decades around it: the multiplier compares each name's share of 1999 babies with its average share 6–25 years before and after.
| Name | Sex | Rank | Vs. nearby |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bailey | Boy | #167 | 19× |
| Tyrese | Boy | #201 | 18× |
| Tatyana | Girl | #270 | 14× |
| Shania | Girl | #190 | 12× |
| Alexus | Girl | #228 | 12× |
| Deja | Girl | #271 | 8.4× |
| Diamond | Girl | #150 | 6.2× |
| Chandler | Boy | #151 | 6.1× |
| Lauryn | Girl | #167 | 5.9× |
| Mikayla | Girl | #85 | 5.8× |
Names that peaked in 1999
Each of these reached its highest share of US babies in 1999, the high point in records going back to 1880. Rank is for 1999.
| Name | Sex | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Emily | Girl | #1 |
| Alyssa | Girl | #11 |
| Kiara | Girl | #78 |
| Brendan | Boy | #96 |
| Cassidy | Girl | #99 |
| Chandler | Boy | #151 |
| Diamond | Girl | #150 |
| Camryn | Girl | #158 |
| Lauryn | Girl | #167 |
| Trey | Boy | #189 |
New to the top 1,000 in 1999
Names that made the national top 1,000 for the first time in 1999 (records go back to 1880).
Girls
- Amaya704 babies
- Piper324 babies
- Aniya322 babies
- Noelia314 babies
- Kiarra291 babies
- Jadyn277 babies
- Shaniya276 babies
- Teagan266 babies
Boys
- Jaiden243 babies
- Tyreke220 babies
- Cayden209 babies
- Jett193 babies
- Zaire180 babies
- Jaydon173 babies
- Korbin173 babies
- Tyreese169 babies
Where are they now?
Top-100 names of 1999 that have since dropped out of the top 1,000. Ranks are for 1999 and 2025.
Girls
- Courtney #44 in 1999 , now #2,335 in 2025
- Katelyn #55 in 1999 , now #1,077 in 2025
- Marissa #73 in 1999 , now #1,679 in 2025
- Breanna #74 in 1999 , now #2,548 in 2025
- Alexa #89 in 1999 , now #1,029 in 2025
- Caitlin #93 in 1999 , now #2,333 in 2025
Boys
- Brendan #96 in 1999 , now #1,098 in 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