These Were The Most Popular Baby Names 25 Years Ago

In the grand scheme of human history, 25 years doesn’t feel like a particularly long amount of time. But a lot can change over the course of a quarter-century. This is particularly true for baby name trends. Each year, the Social Security Administration releases its official list of the most popular baby names in the U.S. Although certain names tend to remain popular from one year to the next, interesting trends emerge when you look at slightly bigger chunks of time. We decided to look back at the most popular names 25 years ago to see how parents’ choices in 1999 compare to today’s top picks. Although top names for boys generally remain favored among parents in the 2020s, the most popular picks for girls have seen more of a decline over the last two and a half decades. Indeed, we don’t see as many newborn Jessicas, Amandas and Jennifers these days. Keep scrolling for the 25 most popular baby names for boys and girls born in 1999 (along with where they rank today):

Girls

1. Emily (18)
2. Hannah (48)
3. Alexis (449)
4. Sarah (91)
5. Samantha (114)
6. Ashley (126)
7. Madison (36)
8. Taylor (261)
9. Jessica (553)
10. Elizabeth (15)
11. Alyssa (333)
12. Lauren (343)
13. Kayla (324)
14. Brianna (152)
15. Megan (694)
16. Victoria (45)
17. Emma (2)
18. Abigail (31)
19. Rachel (239)
20. Olivia (255)
21. Jennifer (517)
22. Amanda (484)
23. Sydney (306)
24. Morgan (247)
25. Nicole (327)

Boys

1. Jacob (36)
2. Michael (32)
3. Matthew (39)
4. Joshua (60)
5. Nicholas (109)
6. Christopher (55)
7. Andrew (65)
8. Joseph (29)
9. Daniel (17)
10. Tyler (177)
11. Brandon (219)
12. Ryan (83)
13. Austin (101)
14. William (10)
15. John (26)
16. David (27)
17. Zachary (171)
18. Anthony (46)
19. James (4)
20. Justin (185)
21. Alexander (22)
22. Jonathan (82)
23. Dylan (34)
24. Noah (2)
25. Christian (77)