Top 100 Baby Names of 2008

Every year, the Social Security Administration takes the pulse of the nation and satisfies the curiosity of many a would-be trend spotter.

Here's the burning question that the records of the federal government are uniquely primed to answer authoritatively: What in the world are people naming their children?

The Social Security Administration recently made available the most recent set of baby name statistics, covering births in 2008.

Look out for a burgeoning coterie of Emmas and Jacobs among the toddlers you're likely to meet over the next few years.

Out of about 4.2 million births in the United States in 2008 (as tracked through applications for social security numbers), 18,587 of the baby girls were named Emma and 22,272 of the baby boys were named Jacob.

Fifty years ago, in 1958, the top names for newborns were Mary and Michael. Twenty-five years ago, in 1983, the most popular names were Jennifer and Michael.

Here is the latest list of the top 100 names for boys and girls.

1. Jacob
2. Michael
3. Ethan
4. Joshua
5. Daniel
6. Alexander
7. Anthony
8. William
9. Christopher
10. Matthew
11. Jayden
12. Andrew
13. Joseph
14. David
15. Noah
16. Aiden
17. James
18. Ryan
19. Logan
20. John
21. Nathan
22. Elijah
23. Christian
24. Gabriel
25. Benjamin
26. Jonathan
    
27. Tyler
28. Samuel
29. Nicholas
30. Gavin
31. Dylan
32. Jackson
33. Brandon
34. Caleb
35. Mason
36. Angel
37. Isaac
38. Evan
39. Jack
40. Kevin
41. Jose
42. Isaiah
43. Luke
44. Landon
45. Justin
46. Lucas
47. Zachary
48. Jordan
49. Robert
50. Aaron
51. Brayden
52. Thomas
53. Cameron
54. Hunter
55. Austin
56. Adrian
57. Connor
58. Owen
59. Aidan
60. Jason
61. Julian
62. Wyatt
63. Charles
64. Luis
65. Carter
66. Juan
67. Chase
68. Diego
69. Jeremiah
70. Brody
71. Xavier
72. Adam
73. Carlos
74. Sebastian
75. Liam
76. Hayden
77. Nathaniel
78. Henry
79. Jesus
80. Ian
81. Tristan
82. Bryan
83. Sean
84. Cole
85. Alex
86. Eric
87. Brian
88. Jaden
89. Carson
90. Blake
91. Ayden
92. Cooper
93. Dominic
94. Brady
95. Caden
96. Josiah
97. Kyle
98. Colton
99. Kaden
100. Eli

1. Emma
2. Isabella
3. Emily
4. Madison
5. Ava
6. Olivia
7. Sophia
8. Abigail
   
9. Elizabeth
   
10. Chloe
    
11. Samantha
    
12. Addison
    
13. Natalie
    
14. Mia
    
15. Alexis
    
16. Alyssa
    
17. Hannah
    
18. Ashley
    
19. Ella
    
20. Sarah
    
21. Grace
    
22. Taylor
    
23. Brianna
    
24. Lily
    
25. Hailey
    
26. Anna
    
27. Victoria
    
28. Kayla
    
29. Lillian
    
30. Lauren
    
31. Kaylee
    
32. Allison
    
33. Savannah
    
34. Nevaeh
    
35. Gabriella
    
36. Sofia
    
37. Makayla
    
38. Avery
39. Riley
40. Julia
    
41. Leah
    
42. Aubrey
    
43. Jasmine
    
44. Audrey
    
45. Katherine
    
46. Morgan
    
47. Brooklyn
    
48. Destiny
    
49. Sydney
    
50. Alexa
    
51. Kylie
    
52. Brooke
    
53. Kaitlyn
    
54. Evelyn
    
55. Layla
    
56. Madeline
    
57. Kimberly
    
58. Zoe
    
59. Jessica
    
60. Peyton
    
61. Alexandra
    
62. Claire
    
63. Madelyn
    
64. Maria
    
65. Mackenzie
    
66. Arianna
    
67. Jocelyn
    
68. Amelia
    
69. Angelina
70. Trinity
    
71. Andrea
72. Maya
73. Valeria
    
74. Sophie
    
75. Rachel
    
76. Vanessa
    
77. Aaliyah
    
78. Mariah
    
79. Gabrielle
    
80. Katelyn
    
81. Ariana
    
82. Bailey
83. Camila
84. Jennifer
    
85. Melanie
    
86. Gianna
    
87. Charlotte
    
88. Paige
    
89. Autumn
    
90. Payton
    
91. Faith
    
92. Sara
    
93. Isabelle
    
94. Carolina
95. Genesis
    
96. Isabel
97. Mary
    
98. Zoey
    
99. Gracie
    
100. Megan