Most Popular Baby Boy Names in 1996

In this article we'll look at what the most popular baby boy names were for the year 1996. 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 1996, 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 38,365
2 Matthew 32,073
3 Jacob 31,927
4 Christopher 30,903
5 Joshua 29,172
6 Nicholas 27,721
7 Tyler 26,954
8 Brandon 25,845
9 Austin 25,661
10 Andrew 25,237
11 Daniel 25,117
12 Joseph 24,755
13 David 23,018
14 Zachary 22,367
15 John 22,182
16 Ryan 21,808
17 James 21,157
18 William 20,542
19 Anthony 20,504
20 Justin 20,007
21 Jonathan 18,593
22 Alexander 17,962
23 Robert 17,673
24 Christian 15,823
25 Kyle 15,601
26 Kevin 14,586
27 Jordan 13,852
28 Thomas 13,801
29 Benjamin 13,780
30 Samuel 13,626
31 Cody 12,951
32 Jose 12,154
33 Dylan 12,035
34 Aaron 11,972
35 Eric 11,607
36 Brian 10,472
37 Nathan 10,283
38 Steven 9,650
39 Adam 9,555
40 Timothy 8,919
41 Jason 8,696
42 Logan 8,374
43 Charles 8,247
44 Patrick 8,193
45 Richard 8,180
46 Sean 7,896
47 Hunter 7,602
48 Caleb 7,549
49 Cameron 7,388
50 Noah 7,183
51 Jesse 7,075
52 Juan 7,011
53 Alex 6,912
54 Connor 6,911
55 Mark 6,597
56 Jeremy 6,411
57 Luis 6,407
58 Dakota 6,066
59 Stephen 6,007
60 Devin 6,002
61 Gabriel 5,897
62 Ethan 5,852
63 Trevor 5,841
64 Jared 5,821
65 Evan 5,579
66 Bryan 5,560
67 Carlos 5,464
68 Tristan 5,458
69 Nathaniel 5,419
70 Ian 5,409
71 Isaiah 5,324
72 Jeffrey 5,263
73 Travis 5,158
74 Jesus 5,114
75 Luke 5,016
76 Chase 4,991
77 Kenneth 4,975
78 Paul 4,880
79 Dustin 4,873
80 Antonio 4,864
81 Elijah 4,815
82 Taylor 4,796
83 Bradley 4,756
84 Blake 4,747
85 Garrett 4,652
86 Isaac 4,565
87 Marcus 4,546
88 Mitchell 4,390
89 Jack 4,244
90 Tanner 4,180
91 Miguel 4,160
92 Adrian 4,109
93 Lucas 4,103
94 Corey 4,086
95 Peter 4,080
96 Edward 4,074
97 Malik 4,025
98 Gregory 3,994
99 Dalton 3,979
100 Victor 3,924
101 Derek 3,920
102 Angel 3,912
103 Seth 3,886
104 Mason 3,881
105 Colton 3,787
106 Cole 3,737
107 Alejandro 3,676
108 Scott 3,671
109 Spencer 3,609
110 Brett 3,577
111 Shawn 3,505
112 Shane 3,488
113 Jorge 3,463
114 Jake 3,447
115 Collin 3,358
116 Vincent 3,341
117 Alec 3,308
118 George 3,227
119 Grant 3,205
120 Bryce 3,090
121 Dillon 3,024
122 Erik 3,020
123 Eduardo 3,017
124 Joel 3,004
125 Oscar 2,998
126 Colin 2,953
127 Devon 2,906
128 Ricardo 2,882
129 Julian 2,855
130 Cristian 2,847
131 Raymond 2,814
132 Brendan 2,812
133 Francisco 2,811
134 Wyatt 2,789
135 Dominic 2,669
136 Jackson 2,644
137 Wesley 2,616
138 Johnathan 2,563
139 Henry 2,556
140 Omar 2,518
141 Xavier 2,506
142 Casey 2,464
143 Alan 2,447
144 Cory 2,446
145 Manuel 2,410
146 Riley 2,393
147 Mario 2,378
148 Edgar 2,359
149 Clayton 2,338
150 Phillip 2,308
151 Nicolas 2,296
152 Martin 2,282
153 Javier 2,247
154 Chance 2,243
155 Troy 2,238
156 Ronald 2,230
157 Chandler 2,185
158 Keith 2,183
159 Donald 2,182
160 Andres 2,170
161 Chad 2,167
162 Frank 2,149
163 Levi 2,126
164 Jeremiah 2,103
165 Drew 2,100
166 Ivan 2,093
167 Sergio 2,047
168 Hayden 2,015
169 Derrick 1,995
170 Cesar 1,988
171 Jonathon 1,972
172 Andre 1,964
173 Hector 1,964
174 Marco 1,923
175 Roberto 1,919
176 Brady 1,915
177 Maxwell 1,901
178 Fernando 1,876
179 Parker 1,797
180 Alexis 1,795
181 Douglas 1,791
182 Darius 1,768
183 Calvin 1,757
184 Liam 1,747
185 Philip 1,725
186 Kaleb 1,717
187 Trenton 1,707
188 Erick 1,705
189 Preston 1,667
190 Ruben 1,662
191 Curtis 1,643
192 Gavin 1,633
193 Johnny 1,611
194 Jerry 1,608
195 Sebastian 1,589
196 Edwin 1,586
197 Jonah 1,569
198 Pedro 1,566
199 Conner 1,560
200 Bailey 1,550
201 Dennis 1,542
202 Gary 1,542
203 Gage 1,541
204 Mathew 1,514
205 Gerardo 1,510
206 Randy 1,509
207 Raul 1,492
208 Max 1,486
209 Harrison 1,479
210 Micah 1,478
211 Emmanuel 1,471
212 Allen 1,467
213 Julio 1,448
214 Damian 1,408
215 Rafael 1,399
216 Landon 1,395
217 Skyler 1,392
218 Diego 1,379
219 Zachery 1,373
220 Larry 1,371
221 Armando 1,368
222 Jalen 1,367
223 Jimmy 1,361
224 Marcos 1,350
225 Colby 1,344
226 Brent 1,337
227 Abraham 1,336
228 Enrique 1,326
229 Tony 1,315
230 Jaime 1,312
231 Albert 1,302
232 Andy 1,292
233 Marc 1,292
234 Dallas 1,289
235 Louis 1,283
236 Alberto 1,249
237 Trey 1,247
238 Giovanni 1,245
239 Josiah 1,242
240 Kristopher 1,238
241 Zackary 1,238
242 Ty 1,220
243 Morgan 1,216
244 Carter 1,216
245 Danny 1,206
246 Donovan 1,201
247 Craig 1,198
248 Ricky 1,197
249 Tristen 1,188
250 Carl 1,183

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 'Danny' 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 'Christopher' 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 'Jacobs' 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 'Joshua' 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 'Nicholas' 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 'Andrew' or '' are on repeat, you'll likely see them in the baby name charts.

Family Tradition

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

So, while we can't always predict why a name like 'Austin' 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 1996". NameCensus.com. Accessed on March 28, 2024. https://namecensus.com/baby-names/popular-boy-names-in-1996/.

  • "Most Popular Baby Boy Names in 1996". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/baby-names/popular-boy-names-in-1996/. Accessed 28 March, 2024

  • Most Popular Baby Boy Names in 1996. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from https://namecensus.com/baby-names/popular-boy-names-in-1996/.