Most Popular Baby Boy Names in 2016

In this article we'll look at what the most popular baby boy names were for the year 2016. 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 2016, 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 Noah 19,154
2 Liam 18,235
3 William 15,783
4 Mason 15,267
5 James 14,887
6 Benjamin 14,661
7 Jacob 14,532
8 Michael 14,103
9 Elijah 13,930
10 Ethan 13,834
11 Alexander 13,424
12 Oliver 13,050
13 Daniel 12,962
14 Lucas 12,890
15 Matthew 12,640
16 Aiden 12,240
17 Jackson 11,298
18 Logan 11,256
19 David 11,127
20 Joseph 10,941
21 Samuel 10,594
22 Henry 10,383
23 Owen 10,298
24 Sebastian 10,289
25 Gabriel 10,251
26 Carter 10,201
27 Jayden 10,131
28 John 10,034
29 Luke 9,988
30 Anthony 9,879
31 Isaac 9,760
32 Dylan 9,703
33 Wyatt 9,566
34 Andrew 9,408
35 Joshua 9,226
36 Christopher 9,086
37 Grayson 8,682
38 Jack 8,420
39 Julian 8,379
40 Ryan 8,248
41 Jaxon 8,128
42 Levi 8,097
43 Nathan 7,986
44 Caleb 7,967
45 Hunter 7,663
46 Christian 7,649
47 Isaiah 7,540
48 Thomas 7,359
49 Aaron 7,166
50 Lincoln 7,122
51 Charles 7,119
52 Eli 7,113
53 Landon 7,039
54 Connor 7,032
55 Josiah 7,001
56 Jonathan 6,969
57 Cameron 6,849
58 Jeremiah 6,598
59 Mateo 6,551
60 Adrian 6,330
61 Hudson 6,124
62 Robert 5,995
63 Nicholas 5,754
64 Brayden 5,724
65 Jordan 5,644
66 Easton 5,638
67 Nolan 5,630
68 Colton 5,614
69 Evan 5,607
70 Angel 5,549
71 Asher 5,513
72 Dominic 5,424
73 Austin 5,362
74 Leo 5,293
75 Adam 5,207
76 Jace 5,198
77 Jose 5,113
78 Ian 5,076
79 Cooper 4,971
80 Gavin 4,937
81 Carson 4,922
82 Jaxson 4,904
83 Theodore 4,901
84 Jason 4,874
85 Ezra 4,873
86 Chase 4,856
87 Parker 4,722
88 Xavier 4,607
89 Zachary 4,568
90 Kevin 4,547
91 Tyler 4,506
92 Ayden 4,500
93 Elias 4,479
94 Bryson 4,363
95 Leonardo 4,322
96 Greyson 4,319
97 Sawyer 4,240
98 Roman 4,217
99 Brandon 4,094
100 Bentley 4,055
101 Kayden 4,020
102 Ryder 3,884
103 Nathaniel 3,879
104 Vincent 3,830
105 Miles 3,739
106 Santiago 3,716
107 Harrison 3,660
108 Tristan 3,633
109 Declan 3,618
110 Cole 3,598
111 Maxwell 3,581
112 Justin 3,561
113 Luis 3,555
114 Everett 3,509
115 Micah 3,489
116 Axel 3,462
117 Wesley 3,427
118 Max 3,419
119 Silas 3,413
120 Weston 3,402
121 Ezekiel 3,388
122 Juan 3,345
123 Camden 3,341
124 Damian 3,341
125 Braxton 3,307
126 George 3,304
127 Blake 3,284
128 Jameson 3,280
129 Carlos 3,202
130 Diego 3,197
131 Ivan 3,159
132 Kingston 3,140
133 Ashton 3,099
134 Jesus 3,076
135 Brody 3,057
136 Emmett 3,044
137 Abel 3,034
138 Jayce 2,966
139 Maverick 2,956
140 Bennett 2,941
141 Giovanni 2,933
142 Eric 2,923
143 Maddox 2,905
144 Kaiden 2,895
145 Kai 2,890
146 Alex 2,843
147 Bryce 2,840
148 Ryker 2,799
149 Calvin 2,792
150 Jonah 2,772
151 Luca 2,753
152 Timothy 2,663
153 King 2,658
154 Alan 2,630
155 Malachi 2,628
156 Brantley 2,610
157 Abraham 2,580
158 Emmanuel 2,569
159 Antonio 2,557
160 Jude 2,518
161 Richard 2,518
162 Edward 2,512
163 Miguel 2,503
164 Victor 2,458
165 Amir 2,438
166 Joel 2,423
167 Steven 2,395
168 Hayden 2,390
169 Matteo 2,385
170 Patrick 2,356
171 Grant 2,350
172 Preston 2,313
173 Tucker 2,309
174 Jesse 2,299
175 Finn 2,293
176 Kaleb 2,258
177 Oscar 2,258
178 Gael 2,248
179 Graham 2,247
180 Elliot 2,236
181 Alejandro 2,206
182 Rowan 2,191
183 Marcus 2,178
184 Jeremy 2,130
185 Zayden 2,130
186 Bryan 2,126
187 Beau 2,122
188 Karter 2,121
189 Maximus 2,121
190 Avery 2,120
191 Aidan 2,113
192 Elliott 2,093
193 August 2,087
194 Nicolas 2,079
195 Mark 2,064
196 Waylon 2,056
197 Bradley 2,051
198 Colin 2,050
199 Kyle 2,033
200 Kaden 2,031
201 Xander 2,012
202 Caden 1,992
203 Paxton 1,990
204 Brian 1,980
205 Dean 1,964
206 Paul 1,937
207 Peter 1,922
208 Kenneth 1,915
209 Jasper 1,909
210 Lorenzo 1,873
211 Zane 1,869
212 River 1,850
213 Zion 1,840
214 Beckett 1,836
215 Jax 1,810
216 Dawson 1,792
217 Messiah 1,788
218 Andres 1,786
219 Jaden 1,785
220 Rhett 1,767
221 Lukas 1,756
222 Brady 1,752
223 Omar 1,734
224 Riley 1,725
225 Jorge 1,723
226 Derek 1,714
227 Charlie 1,710
228 Emiliano 1,699
229 Myles 1,697
230 Griffin 1,694
231 Judah 1,677
232 Israel 1,676
233 Brooks 1,669
234 Sean 1,664
235 Iker 1,636
236 Javier 1,630
237 Corbin 1,604
238 Tanner 1,604
239 Erick 1,600
240 Adriel 1,594
241 Jase 1,593
242 Jake 1,585
243 Simon 1,554
244 Cayden 1,552
245 Knox 1,538
246 Tobias 1,522
247 Milo 1,510
248 Felix 1,509
249 Jayceon 1,473
250 Gunner 1,451

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 'Knox' or '', still top the charts. As the birth rate declines, we won't see baby names like 'Noah' 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 'Mason' 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 'Williams' 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 'James' 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 'Benjamin' 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 'Ethan' or '' are on repeat, you'll likely see them in the baby name charts.

Family Tradition

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

So, while we can't always predict why a name like 'Elijah' 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 2016". NameCensus.com. Accessed on March 29, 2024. https://namecensus.com/baby-names/popular-boy-names-in-2016/.

  • "Most Popular Baby Boy Names in 2016". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/baby-names/popular-boy-names-in-2016/. Accessed 29 March, 2024

  • Most Popular Baby Boy Names in 2016. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from https://namecensus.com/baby-names/popular-boy-names-in-2016/.