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You probably don’t think of the Social Security Administration often.
If you’re a US citizen or live and work in the US, they sent you a social security number, and you rarely have to deal with them unless you need benefits.
But the agency collects so much data that it has become a treasure trove of fascinating information about name trends in America over the years.
We’ve rounded up the most popular names from each decade, and scroll down to find out how to view the most popular names from your exact birth year, no matter how old you are.
Popular baby names in the 1970s
Girls
- Jennifer
- Amy
- Melissa
Boys
- Michael
- Christopher
- Jason
Popular baby names in the 1980s
Girls
- Jennifer
- Amanda
- Jessica
Boys
- Michael
- Christopher
- Matthew
Popular baby names in the 1990s
Girls
- Jessica
- Ashley
- Emily
Boys
- Michael
- Christopher
- Matthew
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Popular baby names in the 2000s
Girls
- Emily
- Emma
- Madison
Boys
- Jacob
- Michael
- Joshua
Popular baby names in the 2010s
Girls
- Olivia
- Sophia
- Emma
Boys
- Jacob
- Liam
- Noah
In the past 40 years or so, it seems that the enduring popular girl names are Jennifer and Jessica, and popular boy names are Matthew and Michael.
There’s no data on the website as of yet for names in the 2020s, but in 2019, popular names for boys are Liam, Noah , and Oliver, and girls are Olivia, Emma, and Ava.
To find the top names in the year of your birth, visit the SSA website and scroll to the bottom page where you’ll have to type in the year you were born, click the subsequent drop down box and choose if you want to see see the top 20 to 500 names in that year, then hit go and you’re all set!
Popular baby namesPhoto courtesy of Social Security’s website
You also have the option to see the popularity of names by state, decade, how they changed in popularity, adjust the settings to include percentages of births and number of births when seeing the popularity of names, or type in your name to see the popularity over the course of time.
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