Most Popular Baby Boy Names in 1997

In this article we'll look at what the most popular baby boy names were for the year 1997. 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 1997, 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 37,549
2 Jacob 34,156
3 Matthew 31,514
4 Christopher 29,105
5 Joshua 28,284
6 Nicholas 27,257
7 Andrew 25,203
8 Brandon 25,194
9 Austin 25,118
10 Tyler 24,876
11 Daniel 23,948
12 Joseph 23,597
13 Zachary 21,929
14 David 21,888
15 John 21,386
16 Ryan 20,527
17 James 20,405
18 Anthony 20,031
19 William 20,019
20 Justin 18,744
21 Jonathan 18,539
22 Alexander 17,111
23 Robert 16,303
24 Kyle 15,918
25 Christian 15,058
26 Jordan 14,760
27 Samuel 14,235
28 Kevin 13,293
29 Benjamin 13,267
30 Dylan 12,968
31 Thomas 12,896
32 Jose 11,924
33 Aaron 11,170
34 Nathan 10,442
35 Eric 10,318
36 Cody 10,294
37 Brian 9,733
38 Noah 9,278
39 Adam 8,805
40 Steven 8,766
41 Jason 8,745
42 Logan 8,620
43 Timothy 8,503
44 Hunter 8,405
45 Cameron 8,217
46 Ethan 7,806
47 Caleb 7,774
48 Sean 7,743
49 Charles 7,654
50 Patrick 7,489
51 Richard 7,242
52 Connor 7,141
53 Luis 7,129
54 Juan 7,113
55 Alex 6,854
56 Jared 6,682
57 Gabriel 6,404
58 Mark 6,165
59 Devin 6,042
60 Evan 6,002
61 Isaiah 6,002
62 Trevor 6,001
63 Jesse 5,918
64 Jeremy 5,803
65 Nathaniel 5,775
66 Dakota 5,664
67 Carlos 5,460
68 Stephen 5,414
69 Bryan 5,252
70 Ian 5,208
71 Jesus 5,163
72 Cole 5,158
73 Isaac 5,146
74 Elijah 5,087
75 Antonio 5,069
76 Jack 4,984
77 Chase 4,963
78 Luke 4,953
79 Paul 4,752
80 Blake 4,728
81 Travis 4,684
82 Tanner 4,676
83 Kenneth 4,658
84 Jeffrey 4,582
85 Garrett 4,546
86 Angel 4,514
87 Taylor 4,332
88 Dustin 4,277
89 Mason 4,267
90 Dalton 4,237
91 Miguel 4,234
92 Tristan 4,196
93 Marcus 4,181
94 Bradley 4,123
95 Adrian 4,114
96 Mitchell 4,068
97 Seth 4,043
98 Lucas 4,031
99 Alejandro 3,997
100 Edward 3,915
101 Jake 3,839
102 Peter 3,827
103 Gregory 3,802
104 Spencer 3,766
105 Victor 3,701
106 Derek 3,670
107 Brendan 3,622
108 Colton 3,600
109 Shawn 3,448
110 Corey 3,416
111 Malik 3,381
112 Bryce 3,352
113 Scott 3,344
114 Shane 3,317
115 Grant 3,315
116 Brett 3,268
117 Jorge 3,231
118 Vincent 3,193
119 Devon 3,189
120 Alexis 3,182
121 George 3,177
122 Collin 3,157
123 Alec 3,137
124 Jackson 3,126
125 Colin 3,098
126 Joel 2,989
127 Oscar 2,970
128 Jeremiah 2,929
129 Dominic 2,928
130 Ricardo 2,926
131 Julian 2,911
132 Dillon 2,887
133 Francisco 2,865
134 Erik 2,857
135 Riley 2,833
136 Gavin 2,757
137 Wyatt 2,747
138 Raymond 2,705
139 Henry 2,656
140 Eduardo 2,624
141 Xavier 2,590
142 Johnathan 2,550
143 Nicolas 2,430
144 Wesley 2,358
145 Cristian 2,331
146 Manuel 2,322
147 Clayton 2,319
148 Maxwell 2,317
149 Fernando 2,315
150 Parker 2,298
151 Bailey 2,295
152 Mario 2,295
153 Omar 2,291
154 Javier 2,290
155 Martin 2,230
156 Levi 2,225
157 Andres 2,202
158 Alan 2,177
159 Brady 2,162
160 Ivan 2,160
161 Edgar 2,115
162 Liam 2,112
163 Casey 2,097
164 Ronald 2,096
165 Phillip 2,086
166 Cory 2,083
167 Hayden 2,068
168 Frank 2,023
169 Keith 2,000
170 Troy 1,998
171 Drew 1,992
172 Sergio 1,985
173 Donald 1,970
174 Chad 1,952
175 Roberto 1,944
176 Marco 1,923
177 Darius 1,890
178 Preston 1,889
179 Hector 1,871
180 Jonathon 1,845
181 Harrison 1,824
182 Trenton 1,808
183 Andre 1,800
184 Chandler 1,796
185 Kaleb 1,793
186 Derrick 1,784
187 Diego 1,784
188 Cesar 1,783
189 Sebastian 1,769
190 Conner 1,727
191 Chance 1,715
192 Calvin 1,707
193 Gage 1,702
194 Max 1,698
195 Philip 1,661
196 Jonah 1,621
197 Erick 1,615
198 Edwin 1,605
199 Ruben 1,595
200 Dante 1,589
201 Douglas 1,585
202 Micah 1,570
203 Landon 1,545
204 Carter 1,540
205 Armando 1,512
206 Damian 1,507
207 Pedro 1,498
208 Curtis 1,496
209 Dennis 1,489
210 Emmanuel 1,474
211 Johnny 1,467
212 Jerry 1,457
213 Donovan 1,449
214 Gerardo 1,432
215 Mathew 1,432
216 Abraham 1,428
217 Andy 1,425
218 Allen 1,408
219 Raul 1,406
220 Jakob 1,387
221 Skyler 1,387
222 Aidan 1,381
223 Josiah 1,381
224 Owen 1,366
225 Griffin 1,364
226 Randy 1,362
227 Rafael 1,360
228 Ty 1,358
229 Colby 1,357
230 Enrique 1,349
231 Marc 1,336
232 Gary 1,326
233 Marcos 1,321
234 Zachery 1,321
235 Nolan 1,311
236 Louis 1,309
237 Trey 1,291
238 Julio 1,288
239 Giovanni 1,281
240 Alberto 1,272
241 Brent 1,254
242 Tony 1,248
243 Larry 1,239
244 Jimmy 1,228
245 Trent 1,228
246 Jaime 1,212
247 Zackary 1,203
248 Dallas 1,182
249 Albert 1,177
250 Avery 1,173

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 'Trent' 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 '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 '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 'Tyler' or '' are on repeat, you'll likely see them in the baby name charts.

Family Tradition

Some names like 'Andrew' 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 1997". NameCensus.com. Accessed on March 28, 2024. https://namecensus.com/baby-names/popular-boy-names-in-1997/.

  • "Most Popular Baby Boy Names in 1997". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/baby-names/popular-boy-names-in-1997/. Accessed 28 March, 2024

  • Most Popular Baby Boy Names in 1997. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from https://namecensus.com/baby-names/popular-boy-names-in-1997/.