Most Popular Baby Boy Names in 1986

In this article we'll look at what the most popular baby boy names were for the year 1986. 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 boy names in 1986, 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

Rank Name Count
1 Michael 64,224
2 Christopher 56,701
3 Matthew 46,929
4 Joshua 37,547
5 David 37,160
6 Daniel 36,578
7 James 34,048
8 Andrew 33,860
9 Robert 31,359
10 John 30,211
11 Ryan 29,523
12 Joseph 28,837
13 Brandon 27,258
14 Justin 26,634
15 William 24,331
16 Jonathan 23,974
17 Nicholas 22,799
18 Jason 22,406
19 Anthony 21,955
20 Brian 21,033
21 Kevin 19,937
22 Eric 19,526
23 Kyle 19,312
24 Adam 18,166
25 Steven 18,099
26 Thomas 17,356
27 Timothy 16,876
28 Jeremy 16,265
29 Richard 15,012
30 Benjamin 13,802
31 Jacob 13,653
32 Jeffrey 13,647
33 Aaron 12,689
34 Charles 12,626
35 Mark 12,612
36 Stephen 11,877
37 Sean 11,781
38 Zachary 11,725
39 Patrick 11,407
40 Tyler 10,913
41 Alexander 10,608
42 Dustin 10,316
43 Nathan 9,998
44 Scott 9,967
45 Paul 9,716
46 Gregory 9,535
47 Bryan 8,651
48 Jesse 8,543
49 Travis 8,481
50 Kenneth 8,453
51 Jose 8,366
52 Samuel 7,577
53 Jordan 7,303
54 Bradley 7,038
55 Shawn 7,015
56 Cody 6,933
57 Derek 6,901
58 Jared 6,118
59 Chad 6,024
60 Peter 5,801
61 Edward 5,776
62 Corey 5,768
63 Marcus 5,274
64 Alex 5,110
65 Juan 5,077
66 Keith 5,036
67 Shane 4,929
68 Cory 4,870
69 Brett 4,729
70 Phillip 4,706
71 Donald 4,662
72 Joel 4,506
73 Antonio 4,406
74 George 4,345
75 Ronald 4,224
76 Carlos 4,091
77 Raymond 4,055
78 Nathaniel 4,031
79 Luis 4,026
80 Craig 3,924
81 Evan 3,888
82 Casey 3,763
83 Douglas 3,761
84 Gary 3,719
85 Ian 3,715
86 Philip 3,665
87 Derrick 3,327
88 Victor 3,293
89 Christian 3,211
90 Austin 3,204
91 Frank 3,179
92 Erik 3,106
93 Vincent 3,093
94 Brent 3,061
95 Gabriel 3,049
96 Wesley 3,041
97 Seth 2,981
98 Trevor 2,980
99 Adrian 2,942
100 Curtis 2,909
101 Blake 2,786
102 Jeffery 2,771
103 Randy 2,729
104 Dennis 2,706
105 Mitchell 2,664
106 Luke 2,653
107 Alan 2,646
108 Larry 2,622
109 Jesus 2,599
110 Todd 2,585
111 Miguel 2,575
112 Mario 2,474
113 Devin 2,446
114 Carl 2,443
115 Johnathan 2,416
116 Russell 2,407
117 Garrett 2,388
118 Jeremiah 2,381
119 Martin 2,378
120 Tony 2,359
121 Jerry 2,267
122 Terry 2,251
123 Troy 2,251
124 Ricardo 2,223
125 Johnny 2,205
126 Lucas 2,196
127 Jorge 2,183
128 Allen 2,118
129 Jonathon 2,107
130 Bobby 2,104
131 Caleb 2,098
132 Shaun 2,065
133 Andre 2,051
134 Lance 2,051
135 Cameron 2,049
136 Taylor 2,036
137 Marc 2,030
138 Drew 2,001
139 Henry 1,995
140 Kristopher 1,994
141 Chase 1,968
142 Mathew 1,967
143 Manuel 1,960
144 Ricky 1,956
145 Lee 1,933
146 Francisco 1,916
147 Danny 1,914
148 Randall 1,888
149 Dylan 1,833
150 Jimmy 1,820
151 Lawrence 1,789
152 Ross 1,775
153 Micheal 1,769
154 Albert 1,749
155 Isaac 1,735
156 Walter 1,715
157 Roberto 1,709
158 Colin 1,691
159 Louis 1,686
160 Billy 1,685
161 Clayton 1,672
162 Calvin 1,665
163 Angel 1,651
164 Spencer 1,645
165 Alejandro 1,632
166 Rodney 1,630
167 Roger 1,609
168 Darren 1,580
169 Arthur 1,571
170 Oscar 1,571
171 Jake 1,552
172 Julian 1,543
173 Joe 1,537
174 Clinton 1,527
175 Jack 1,520
176 Maurice 1,509
177 Jon 1,506
178 Willie 1,490
179 Grant 1,485
180 Jay 1,482
181 Hector 1,473
182 Jamie 1,469
183 Gerald 1,455
184 Javier 1,427
185 Brendan 1,401
186 Ruben 1,382
187 Dominic 1,370
188 Reginald 1,350
189 Bruce 1,348
190 Edwin 1,345
191 Wayne 1,342
192 Logan 1,328
193 Fernando 1,323
194 Omar 1,314
195 Sergio 1,311
196 Darrell 1,308
197 Roy 1,283
198 Frederick 1,269
199 Geoffrey 1,263
200 Theodore 1,255
201 Bryce 1,219
202 Jaime 1,212
203 Rafael 1,207
204 Ivan 1,204
205 Emmanuel 1,185
206 Pedro 1,167
207 Jerome 1,165
208 Raul 1,164
209 Levi 1,163
210 Tyrone 1,158
211 Neil 1,152
212 Marvin 1,136
213 Terrance 1,134
214 Preston 1,121
215 Jessie 1,117
216 Brad 1,103
217 Micah 1,100
218 Eddie 1,087
219 Darryl 1,075
220 Dane 1,069
221 Cole 1,068
222 Ronnie 1,064
223 Armando 1,062
224 Andres 1,059
225 Kurt 1,058
226 Devon 1,053
227 Noah 1,037
228 Ramon 1,029
229 Eduardo 1,022
230 Edgar 1,020
231 Eugene 1,019
232 Alberto 1,013
233 Ernest 1,007
234 Julio 994
235 Steve 990
236 Glenn 982
237 Dale 980
238 Nicolas 974
239 Tommy 964
240 Tyson 959
241 Jermaine 952
242 Terrence 938
243 Max 923
244 Tristan 922
245 Francis 914
246 Marco 911
247 Abraham 910
248 Karl 903
249 Leonard 901
250 Bryant 897

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 'Francis' or '', still top the charts. As the birth rate declines, we won't see baby names like 'Michael' or '' 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 'Joshua' or '' 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 'Matthews' or 's' 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 'David' or '' 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 'Daniel' or '' 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 'John' or '' are on repeat, you'll likely see them in the baby name charts.

Family Tradition

Some names like 'James' or '' 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 'Andrew' or '' show the lasting impact of religion and politics on baby names.

So, while we can't always predict why a name like 'Robert' or '' 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 Boy Names in 1986". NameCensus.com. Accessed on March 29, 2024. https://namecensus.com/baby-names/popular-boy-names-in-1986/.

  • "Most Popular Baby Boy Names in 1986". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/baby-names/popular-boy-names-in-1986/. Accessed 29 March, 2024

  • Most Popular Baby Boy Names in 1986. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from https://namecensus.com/baby-names/popular-boy-names-in-1986/.