US Most Popular Male and Female Baby Names in 1996

Updated on December 2, 2025.

Data Source: Social Security Administration (SSA).

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US Most Popular Male Baby Names in 1996

In 1996, the most popular name for baby boys in the US was Michael, with a count of 38,373 boys out of a total of 1,894,233 registered names of baby boys (i.e. 2.03% of the total number of new-born baby boys in the US in 1996). The second most popular boy name was Matthew (32,077 boys, 1.69% of total). The third most popular boy name was Jacob (31,924 boys, 1.69% of total).

The table below below shows the top 1000 most popular male baby names in the US in 1996. 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 1996

In 1996, the most popular name for baby girls in the US was Emily, with a count of 25,150 girls out of a total of 1,752,962 registered names of baby girls (i.e. 1.44% of the total number of new-born baby girls in the US in 1996). The second most popular girl name was Jessica (24,200 girls, 1.38% of total). The third most popular girl name was Ashley (23,678 girls, 1.35% of total).

The table below below shows the top 1000 most popular female baby names in the US in 1996. You can click on a name to see the trend of popularity in the US over the years.