Most Popular Baby Names in 2003

In this article we'll look at what the most popular baby names were for the year 2003. These names are taken directly from the Social Security card applications for births that occurred in the United States.

The table below shows the top 250 most popular baby names in 2003, with a total count for the number of births registered with that given name.

You can also use the links below to research more about the most popular baby names.

Top 1000 most popular boy names: 1-250 | 251-500 | 501-750 | 751-1000

Top 1000 most popular girl names: 1-250 | 251-500 | 501-750 | 751-1000

Boys Girls
Rank Name Count Name Count
1 Jacob 29,643 Emily 25,691
2 Michael 27,123 Emma 22,709
3 Joshua 25,098 Madison 20,199
4 Matthew 24,006 Hannah 17,637
5 Andrew 22,154 Olivia 16,152
6 Joseph 21,374 Abigail 15,931
7 Ethan 21,360 Alexis 14,867
8 Daniel 21,052 Ashley 14,517
9 Christopher 20,750 Elizabeth 14,109
10 Anthony 20,148 Samantha 13,869
11 William 19,992 Isabella 13,779
12 Nicholas 19,696 Sarah 13,769
13 Ryan 19,577 Grace 12,779
14 David 18,622 Alyssa 12,750
15 Tyler 18,185 Lauren 11,051
16 Alexander 17,712 Kayla 10,955
17 John 17,236 Brianna 10,584
18 James 16,895 Jessica 10,451
19 Dylan 15,703 Taylor 10,313
20 Zachary 15,540 Sophia 9,686
21 Brandon 15,241 Anna 9,451
22 Jonathan 14,990 Victoria 9,246
23 Samuel 14,671 Natalie 9,151
24 Benjamin 14,073 Chloe 9,081
25 Christian 13,902 Sydney 8,911
26 Nathan 13,661 Hailey 8,797
27 Justin 13,652 Jasmine 8,064
28 Logan 13,185 Rachel 7,985
29 Gabriel 12,521 Morgan 7,927
30 Jose 12,392 Megan 7,799
31 Noah 11,835 Jennifer 7,565
32 Kevin 11,731 Kaitlyn 7,547
33 Austin 11,689 Julia 7,435
34 Caleb 11,642 Haley 7,198
35 Robert 11,394 Katherine 7,125
36 Thomas 10,933 Mia 7,083
37 Elijah 10,662 Destiny 6,976
38 Jordan 10,329 Alexandra 6,545
39 Aidan 10,066 Ava 6,280
40 Cameron 9,965 Nicole 6,234
41 Hunter 9,900 Savannah 6,153
42 Jason 9,822 Maria 6,088
43 Connor 9,670 Brooke 5,970
44 Evan 9,444 Ella 5,905
45 Jack 9,316 Mackenzie 5,865
46 Luke 9,302 Allison 5,850
47 Angel 9,159 Paige 5,758
48 Isaac 8,938 Jordan 5,650
49 Isaiah 8,898 Stephanie 5,602
50 Aaron 8,869 Faith 5,596
51 Gavin 8,763 Makayla 5,580
52 Jackson 8,713 Kylie 5,558
53 Kyle 8,651 Kaylee 5,452
54 Mason 7,896 Jenna 5,352
55 Juan 7,829 Amanda 5,345
56 Eric 7,785 Trinity 5,129
57 Charles 7,694 Zoe 5,086
58 Adam 7,686 Katelyn 5,054
59 Brian 7,672 Mary 5,025
60 Luis 7,581 Andrea 4,979
61 Sean 7,102 Madeline 4,974
62 Alex 6,794 Michelle 4,871
63 Nathaniel 6,665 Rebecca 4,867
64 Bryan 6,618 Kimberly 4,825
65 Ian 6,466 Sara 4,761
66 Carlos 6,218 Gabrielle 4,600
67 Jesus 6,161 Alexa 4,597
68 Adrian 6,110 Caroline 4,585
69 Cole 5,899 Lily 4,434
70 Steven 5,857 Vanessa 4,353
71 Lucas 5,754 Angelina 4,271
72 Owen 5,700 Riley 4,243
73 Aiden 5,684 Sierra 4,240
74 Devin 5,645 Amber 4,123
75 Jayden 5,547 Autumn 4,058
76 Timothy 5,484 Lillian 4,029
77 Julian 5,410 Gabriella 4,021
78 Cody 5,400 Audrey 3,998
79 Blake 5,275 Jada 3,987
80 Seth 5,255 Erin 3,926
81 Dominic 5,218 Leah 3,922
82 Jaden 5,182 Danielle 3,863
83 Diego 5,118 Isabel 3,853
84 Hayden 5,101 Maya 3,849
85 Xavier 5,065 Ariana 3,834
86 Richard 5,054 Arianna 3,796
87 Chase 5,014 Jocelyn 3,717
88 Colin 4,876 Evelyn 3,701
89 Carson 4,861 Avery 3,687
90 Jeremiah 4,854 Aaliyah 3,673
91 Patrick 4,789 Leslie 3,639
92 Antonio 4,716 Claire 3,571
93 Sebastian 4,648 Melanie 3,547
94 Jesse 4,603 Shelby 3,535
95 Miguel 4,591 Marissa 3,517
96 Victor 4,435 Melissa 3,501
97 Landon 4,411 Sofia 3,487
98 Jake 4,402 Bailey 3,466
99 Trevor 4,386 Molly 3,403
100 Alejandro 4,317 Jacqueline 3,399
101 Ashton 4,215 Jade 3,392
102 Carter 4,171 Gabriela 3,361
103 Bryce 4,127 Courtney 3,347
104 Riley 4,077 Angela 3,319
105 Mark 4,031 Breanna 3,271
106 Garrett 3,981 Catherine 3,231
107 Jared 3,942 Katie 3,200
108 Jeremy 3,889 Diana 3,149
109 Wyatt 3,699 Christina 3,113
110 Brayden 3,672 Isabelle 3,111
111 Kenneth 3,642 Amelia 3,094
112 Tristan 3,634 Daniela 3,075
113 Caden 3,629 Mariah 3,073
114 Liam 3,565 Briana 3,059
115 Jorge 3,483 Madelyn 2,984
116 Henry 3,470 Mya 2,952
117 Vincent 3,418 Kathryn 2,946
118 Kaleb 3,401 Brooklyn 2,924
119 Marcus 3,393 Angel 2,890
120 Tanner 3,390 Amy 2,880
121 Kaden 3,337 Adriana 2,839
122 Oscar 3,300 Kennedy 2,774
123 Paul 3,251 Alexandria 2,752
124 Joel 3,244 Laura 2,743
125 Parker 3,186 Kelly 2,736
126 Dakota 3,160 Gracie 2,723
127 Stephen 3,141 Lydia 2,632
128 Ivan 3,139 Margaret 2,624
129 Eduardo 3,119 Ana 2,593
130 Edward 3,113 Kelsey 2,569
131 Alan 3,097 Alicia 2,542
132 Maxwell 3,086 Lindsey 2,541
133 Collin 3,006 Alexia 2,495
134 Nicolas 3,003 Cheyenne 2,475
135 Colton 2,953 Jillian 2,425
136 Gage 2,939 Daisy 2,410
137 Grant 2,917 Sabrina 2,397
138 George 2,910 Mikayla 2,393
139 Spencer 2,908 Ashlyn 2,368
140 Jeffrey 2,884 Cassandra 2,334
141 Brendan 2,867 Karen 2,331
142 Brady 2,865 Caitlin 2,311
143 Dalton 2,857 Gianna 2,311
144 Shane 2,813 Skylar 2,305
145 Cristian 2,804 Nevaeh 2,300
146 Peter 2,803 Lizbeth 2,275
147 Francisco 2,767 Tiffany 2,258
148 Ricardo 2,762 Natalia 2,256
149 Derek 2,753 Mckenzie 2,251
150 Alexis 2,721 Cassidy 2,235
151 Omar 2,703 Sophie 2,231
152 Josiah 2,683 Angelica 2,211
153 Conner 2,677 Summer 2,211
154 Preston 2,640 Kylee 2,197
155 Jalen 2,620 Jordyn 2,190
156 Shawn 2,577 Kendall 2,183
157 Fernando 2,552 Juliana 2,129
158 Erik 2,550 Miranda 2,118
159 Travis 2,541 Erica 2,092
160 Devon 2,526 Caitlyn 2,079
161 Javier 2,502 Bianca 2,054
162 Max 2,460 Kate 2,054
163 Damian 2,453 Naomi 2,049
164 Jonah 2,431 Abby 2,048
165 Bradley 2,393 Kyla 2,023
166 Cooper 2,368 Crystal 2,018
167 Mario 2,358 Rylee 2,018
168 Cesar 2,357 Alondra 1,999
169 Braden 2,353 Karina 1,976
170 Levi 2,353 Jamie 1,924
171 Andres 2,327 Valerie 1,912
172 Edgar 2,319 Hope 1,898
173 Micah 2,286 Kiara 1,875
174 Manuel 2,247 Hayley 1,866
175 Nolan 2,217 Delaney 1,856
176 Donovan 2,211 Chelsea 1,838
177 Giovanni 2,201 Veronica 1,836
178 Johnathan 2,196 Erika 1,817
179 Trenton 2,181 Karla 1,778
180 Colby 2,170 Giselle 1,772
181 Edwin 2,170 Amaya 1,769
182 Emmanuel 2,131 Charlotte 1,763
183 Clayton 2,129 Carly 1,762
184 Wesley 2,123 Aubrey 1,757
185 Gregory 2,108 Valeria 1,736
186 Erick 2,094 Julianna 1,734
187 Raymond 2,049 Ellie 1,728
188 Dillon 2,011 Maggie 1,718
189 Hector 1,997 Sadie 1,706
190 Sergio 1,985 Ruby 1,705
191 Eli 1,980 Addison 1,704
192 Marco 1,959 Peyton 1,700
193 Ty 1,936 Meghan 1,695
194 Malachi 1,919 Mckenna 1,695
195 Abraham 1,895 Layla 1,687
196 Mitchell 1,891 Jazmin 1,676
197 Damien 1,890 Alejandra 1,667
198 Corey 1,887 Jasmin 1,664
199 Martin 1,887 Cynthia 1,662
200 Roberto 1,873 Jayla 1,661
201 Ayden 1,830 Reagan 1,657
202 Taylor 1,828 Esmeralda 1,652
203 Jaylen 1,814 Alana 1,621
204 Dawson 1,805 Payton 1,619
205 Dominick 1,779 Bethany 1,618
206 Scott 1,770 Heather 1,617
207 Dustin 1,769 Monica 1,613
208 Peyton 1,768 Nadia 1,580
209 Andre 1,752 Brittany 1,579
210 Elias 1,711 Makenzie 1,578
211 Leonardo 1,708 Adrianna 1,554
212 Harrison 1,697 Ariel 1,548
213 Josue 1,674 Hanna 1,548
214 Bryson 1,658 Eva 1,517
215 Ruben 1,655 Desiree 1,505
216 Andy 1,631 Haylee 1,504
217 Brett 1,614 Rebekah 1,502
218 Jakob 1,607 Genesis 1,493
219 Avery 1,596 Macy 1,483
220 Zane 1,590 Lucy 1,473
221 Cade 1,576 Zoey 1,469
222 Drew 1,573 Elena 1,464
223 Calvin 1,566 Kyra 1,459
224 Pedro 1,558 Vivian 1,453
225 Griffin 1,536 Makenna 1,451
226 Alec 1,526 Jaden 1,448
227 Trey 1,516 Shannon 1,447
228 Miles 1,511 Brenda 1,442
229 Malik 1,506 Kristen 1,437
230 Frank 1,500 Mallory 1,429
231 Skyler 1,486 Raven 1,428
232 Brody 1,463 Elise 1,419
233 Phillip 1,454 Serenity 1,414
234 Xander 1,424 Alison 1,413
235 Simon 1,420 Diamond 1,400
236 Rafael 1,410 Aliyah 1,392
237 Ronald 1,404 Michaela 1,378
238 Raul 1,400 Asia 1,369
239 Gerardo 1,398 Kara 1,357
240 Chance 1,392 Nina 1,356
241 Marcos 1,379 Fatima 1,354
242 Trent 1,379 Julie 1,352
243 Brock 1,378 Jayden 1,347
244 Derrick 1,378 Liliana 1,346
245 Oliver 1,374 Kailey 1,331
246 Israel 1,368 Guadalupe 1,329
247 Johnny 1,368 Savanna 1,318
248 Enrique 1,355 Jazmine 1,314
249 Jace 1,329 Allyson 1,306
250 Allen 1,318 Laila 1,306

What's in a (Popular) Name?

How do we know which baby names are hot each year? It's simple! The Social Security Administration collects data as parents register their newborns for a Social Security card. So, instead of waiting for the 10-year census, we get an annual update on the trending names!

Popular Baby Names vs. Popular First Names: Any Differences?

If you're wondering why the most popular baby names and the most popular first names aren't the same, remember: first names include everyone, not just babies. With 16.5% of the population over 65, names popular in their generation, like 'Oliver' or 'Guadalupe', still top the charts. As the birth rate declines, we won't see baby names like 'Jacob' or 'Emily' topping the overall popular names list until the Baby Boomer generation decreases significantly.

What Factors Influence Baby Name Popularity?

Ever wondered how a name like 'Matthew' or 'Ashley' hits the charts? It's not an exact science, but here are some cool factors:

Celebrity Influence

Americans adore their stars! A favorite celeb can influence baby names, so if you see more little 'Joshuas' or 'Emmas' running around, you might have a Hollywood A-lister to thank!

Character-Inspired Names

Bookworms and movie buffs often name their kids after beloved characters. If 'Andrew' or 'Alexis' sound familiar, check out the latest bestseller or box-office hit!

Following the Trend

We humans are trend-followers. So, if a friend's baby 'Joseph' or 'Elizabeth' has a cute ring to it, don't be surprised if it catches on!

The Power of Recall

Names heard repeatedly stick in our minds. So if 'Anthony' or 'Hannah' are on repeat, you'll likely see them in the baby name charts.

Family Tradition

Some names like 'Ethan' or 'Grace' stand the test of time, thanks to the tradition of naming babies after older relatives.

Religion and Politics

Religious texts and political figures inspire many parents. Evergreen choices like 'Daniel' or 'Abigail' show the lasting impact of religion and politics on baby names.

So, while we can't always predict why a name like 'Christopher' or 'Hailey' becomes popular, these factors give us some fun insights into the ever-changing landscape of baby names!

Historical Data for Baby Names

If you're interested to see how the trends and popularity of baby names have changed, you can use the links below to view the historical data by decade.

Most popular first names, 1880-present | since 1950 | since 1960 | since 1970 | since 1980 | since 1990 | since 2000 | since 2010

Most popular boy names, 1880-present | since 1950 | since 1960 | since 1970 | since 1980 | since 1990 | since 2000 | since 2010

Most popular girl names, 1880-present | since 1950 | since 1960 | since 1970 | since 1980 | since 1990 | since 2000 | since 2010

Data Source(s)

All of the data on this page is sourced from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and excludes any names with fewer than 5 occurrences in any geographic area.

Link To or Reference This Page

We spent a lot of time downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

  • "Most Popular Baby Names in 2003". NameCensus.com. Accessed on April 24, 2024. https://namecensus.com/baby-names/popular-baby-names-in-2003/.

  • "Most Popular Baby Names in 2003". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/baby-names/popular-baby-names-in-2003/. Accessed 24 April, 2024

  • Most Popular Baby Names in 2003. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from https://namecensus.com/baby-names/popular-baby-names-in-2003/.