Born in 2001 · Gen Z
Baby names of 2001
The Social Security name files, which cover every name given to at least 5 babies, list 3,743,505 babies born in 2001: 1,800,624 girls and 1,942,881 boys. Emily and Jacob were the most popular names, and 11.3% of all babies got a top-10 name, down from 16.7% in 1991. The name most tied to 2001 is Bailey: among boys, it was 9.1× as common that year as in the decades around it.
Quick facts
- Generation
- Gen Z
- Born 1997–2012
- Babies on record
- 3,743,505
- 1,800,624 girls · 1,942,881 boys
- Different names
- 17,978
- for girls, plus 12,307 for boys (5+ babies each)
- Top-10 names
- 11.3%
- of babies got one · girls 9.8%, boys 12.7%
Top 10 names of 2001
- 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 2001, 11.3% 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 2001
These names were far more common in 2001 than in the decades around it: the multiplier compares each name's share of 2001 babies with its average share 6–25 years before and after.
| Name | Sex | Rank | Vs. nearby |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bailey | Boy | #266 | 9.1× |
| Alexus | Girl | #280 | 7.0× |
| Jalen | Boy | #127 | 6.7× |
| Jakob | Boy | #172 | 5.7× |
| Destiny | Girl | #22 | 5.6× |
| Jada | Girl | #75 | 5.2× |
| Colby | Boy | #99 | 4.9× |
| Diamond | Girl | #167 | 4.8× |
| Sydney | Girl | #23 | 4.7× |
| Payton | Boy | #255 | 4.6× |
Names that peaked in 2001
Each of these reached its highest share of US babies in 2001, the high point in records going back to 1880. Rank is for 2001.
| Name | Sex | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Madison | Girl | #2 |
| Dylan | Boy | #21 |
| Mackenzie | Girl | #40 |
| Carlos | Boy | #59 |
| Jesus | Boy | #66 |
| Alejandro | Boy | #88 |
| Colby | Boy | #99 |
| Eduardo | Boy | #112 |
| Javier | Boy | #149 |
| Andres | Boy | #153 |
New to the top 1,000 in 2001
Names that made the national top 1,000 for the first time in 2001 (records go back to 1880).
Girls
- Nevaeh1,199 babies
- Ainsley578 babies
- Yuliana360 babies
- Beyonce353 babies
- Nayely331 babies
- Johana320 babies
- Nallely306 babies
- Kaiya295 babies
Boys
- Jaheim554 babies
- Jagger277 babies
- Oswaldo191 babies
- Ronan187 babies
- Haden177 babies
- Immanuel177 babies
- Jadyn177 babies
- Alijah172 babies
Where are they now?
Top-100 names of 2001 that have since dropped out of the top 1,000. Ranks are for 2001 and 2025.
Girls
- Katelyn #52 in 2001 , now #1,077 in 2025
- Courtney #73 in 2001 , now #2,335 in 2025
- Jada #75 in 2001 , now #1,201 in 2025
- Alexa #78 in 2001 , now #1,029 in 2025
- Marissa #79 in 2001 , now #1,679 in 2025
- Caitlin #89 in 2001 , now #2,333 in 2025
Boys
Every top-100 boys' name from 2001 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