Born in 2002 · Gen Z
Baby names of 2002
The Social Security name files, which cover every name given to at least 5 babies, list 3,738,396 babies born in 2002: 1,796,882 girls and 1,941,514 boys. Emily and Jacob were the most popular names, and 11.1% of all babies got a top-10 name, down from 15.6% in 1992. The name most tied to 2002 is Ashanti: among girls, it was 19× as common that year as in the decades around it.
Quick facts
- Generation
- Gen Z
- Born 1997–2012
- Babies on record
- 3,738,396
- 1,796,882 girls · 1,941,514 boys
- Different names
- 18,086
- for girls, plus 12,489 for boys (5+ babies each)
- Top-10 names
- 11.1%
- of babies got one · girls 9.6%, boys 12.4%
Top 10 names of 2002
- 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 2002, 11.1% 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 2002
These names were far more common in 2002 than in the decades around it: the multiplier compares each name's share of 2002 babies with its average share 6–25 years before and after.
| Name | Sex | Rank | Vs. nearby |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashanti | Girl | #115 | 19× |
| Jaden | Girl | #241 | 15× |
| Lizbeth | Girl | #133 | 8.6× |
| Jalen | Boy | #145 | 5.6× |
| Jada | Girl | #78 | 5.4× |
| Aidan | Boy | #60 | 5.2× |
| Jakob | Boy | #203 | 4.8× |
| Payton | Boy | #256 | 4.6× |
| Alexia | Girl | #128 | 4.4× |
| Destiny | Girl | #34 | 4.4× |
Names that peaked in 2002
Each of these reached its highest share of US babies in 2002, the high point in records going back to 1880. Rank is for 2002.
| Name | Sex | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Ethan | Boy | #5 |
| Jose | Boy | #30 |
| Caleb | Boy | #35 |
| Nathaniel | Boy | #62 |
| Cole | Boy | #69 |
| Faith | Girl | #48 |
| Miguel | Boy | #89 |
| Jade | Girl | #86 |
| Angel | Girl | #109 |
| Daniela | Girl | #113 |
New to the top 1,000 in 2002
Names that made the national top 1,000 for the first time in 2002 (records go back to 1880).
Girls
- Elle418 babies
- Lisbeth409 babies
- Evelin316 babies
- Makena306 babies
- Jaliyah284 babies
- Emerson280 babies
- Keyla269 babies
- Giana265 babies
Boys
- Omarion418 babies
- Yahir334 babies
- Amarion246 babies
- Gael246 babies
- Cael222 babies
- Treyton202 babies
- Aryan188 babies
- Jaheem182 babies
Where are they now?
Top-100 names of 2002 that have since dropped out of the top 1,000. Ranks are for 2002 and 2025.
Girls
- Katelyn #53 in 2002 , now #1,077 in 2025
- Alexa #69 in 2002 , now #1,029 in 2025
- Jada #78 in 2002 , now #1,201 in 2025
- Courtney #88 in 2002 , now #2,335 in 2025
- Marissa #99 in 2002 , now #1,679 in 2025
Boys
Every top-100 boys' name from 2002 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