The most popular baby names in 2000 compared to 2025—see how tastes have shifted

Each year, the Social Security Administration (SSA) publishes a list of the most popular baby names based on the records received from new parents when applying for their child’s Social Security Number.

These records help track naming trends over time, revealing how certain names rise in popularity while others fade away. In this article, we will compare the most popular baby names from 2024 with those from 2000, and what the lists tell us about how naming trends have evolved.

Comparing names for baby boys (2000 and 2024)

In 2024, the most popular baby names for boys were:

Compared to the list from 2000, there is some overlap.

At first glance, it’s hard to miss the popularity of biblical names—regardless of whether they were chosen for religious reasons. The number of biblical names among the most popular for boys has declined slightly over the past two decades: 14 names on the 2000 list fall into that category, compared to just 11 in 2024.

Which names appear on both lists?

On the two lists, we see a total of four names that appear on both: William, Daniel, James, and Michael.

However, their popularity has declined since 2000, as shown by the percentage of baby boys given these names—falling from 4.46% to 2.11% in 2024. In other words, nearly 4.5% of all baby boys born in the U.S. and registered with the SSA in 2000 were given one of these four names. Nearly a quarter-century later, that figure has dropped to just over 2%.

How has the popularity of these names evolved?

Looking at their rankings on both lists helps illustrate the shift.

William rose slightly from 11th in 2000 to 10th in 2024.

Daniel declined from 9th to 16th.

James saw a notable rise, moving from 18th to 5th.

Michael experienced the most dramatic drop, falling from 2nd to 18th.

What the lists tell us about baby naming trends for boys

Comparing the two lists also reveals a broader trend: greater diversity in baby boy names.

In 2000, the top 20 names accounted for 21.85% of all male births. By 2024, that share had dropped to just 12.10%. That’s a striking shift—two decades ago, one in five baby boys had one of just twenty names; today, it’s barely more than one in ten. This suggests that parents are increasingly choosing a wider variety of names for boys, reflecting a broader cultural move toward individuality in naming.

Comparing names for baby girls (2000 and 2024)

When comparing the lists for baby girls, similar trends emerge. In 2024, the most popular baby names for girls were:

Of that list, three names, Olivia, Emma, and Elizabeth, appear on the list from 2000:

How has the popularity of these names evolved?

Unlike the four names that remain popular for baby boys between 2000 and 2024, the three overlapping names for baby girls have held steady—making up 2.03% of births in 2000 and 1.98% in 2024.

Since 2000, Emma and Olivia have surged in popularity. In 2024, Olivia was the most popular name for baby girls, up from 16th place in 2000; Emma ranked second in 2024, rising from 17th.

Elizabeth, however, declined in popularity, falling from 9th in 2000 to 17th in 2024.

Greater diversity in names for baby girls

In 2000, the top 20 names for girls accounted for 15.61% of all births, but by 2024, that figure had dropped to just 10.39%. Compared to boys’ names, the data shows greater diversity in naming trends for baby girls. This pattern holds even when expanding the list to the top 100 names: in 2024, the top 100 names for boys represented 35% of all births—over a third—while the top 100 names for girls accounted for only 28.3%.

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