US Most Popular Male and Female Baby Names in 1988

Updated on December 2, 2025.

Data Source: Social Security Administration (SSA).

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US Most Popular Male Baby Names in 1988

In 1988, the most popular name for baby boys in the US was Michael, with a count of 64,168 boys out of a total of 1,914,216 registered names of baby boys (i.e. 3.35% of the total number of new-born baby boys in the US in 1988). The second most popular boy name was Christopher (53,015 boys, 2.77% of total). The third most popular boy name was Matthew (45,875 boys, 2.40% of total).

The table below below shows the top 1000 most popular male baby names in the US in 1988. You can click on a name to see the trend of popularity in the US over the years.

US Most Popular Female Baby Names in 1988

In 1988, the most popular name for baby girls in the US was Jessica, with a count of 51,557 girls out of a total of 1,780,827 registered names of baby girls (i.e. 2.90% of the total number of new-born baby girls in the US in 1988). The second most popular girl name was Ashley (49,975 girls, 2.81% of total). The third most popular girl name was Amanda (39,459 girls, 2.22% of total).

The table below below shows the top 1000 most popular female baby names in the US in 1988. You can click on a name to see the trend of popularity in the US over the years.