Most popular names of the 1990s
The most popular names for babies born in the US in the 1990s were Jessica for girls and Michael for boys. Jessica was given to about 17 per 1,000 girls, and Michael to about 24 per 1,000 boys. New in the girls' top 10 compared with the 1980s: Emily, Samantha, Brittany, Taylor and Hannah. New in the boys' top 10: Jacob, Nicholas, Andrew and Tyler.
Girls
| # | Name | Share of girls | 1880–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jessica | 17 per 1,000 | |
| 2 | Ashley | 17 per 1,000 | |
| 3 | Emily new | 13 per 1,000 | |
| 4 | Sarah | 12 per 1,000 | |
| 5 | Samantha new | 12 per 1,000 | |
| 6 | Amanda | 11 per 1,000 | |
| 7 | Brittany new | 10 per 1,000 | |
| 8 | Elizabeth | 9.6 per 1,000 | |
| 9 | Taylor new | 9.5 per 1,000 | |
| 10 | Hannah new | 8.9 per 1,000 |
Boys
| # | Name | Share of boys | 1880–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael | 24 per 1,000 | |
| 2 | Christopher | 18 per 1,000 | |
| 3 | Matthew | 18 per 1,000 | |
| 4 | Joshua | 17 per 1,000 | |
| 5 | Jacob new | 15 per 1,000 | |
| 6 | Nicholas new | 14 per 1,000 | |
| 7 | Andrew new | 14 per 1,000 | |
| 8 | Daniel | 14 per 1,000 | |
| 9 | Tyler new | 13 per 1,000 | |
| 10 | Joseph | 13 per 1,000 |
"Share" is the average share of babies of that sex who got the name in each year of the decade. Each small curve runs from 1880 to 2025. Source: US Social Security Administration.