The year 2000 might not feel like that long ago, but quite a lot has changed since then. This is particularly true in the realm of baby naming.
Every year, the Social Security Administration releases its official list of the most popular baby names in the U.S., and over time, some interesting trends emerge. We decided to look back at the most popular names 25 years ago to see how parents’ choices in the year 2000 compare to today’s top picks.
Although the top names for boys generally remain favored among parents today, the most popular picks for girls have followed more of a pattern of decline over the past two and a half decades. That’s why there are significantly more 25-year-olds than newborns with names like Jessica, Destiny and Megan.
Below, find the 25 most popular baby names for boys and girls born in 2000 (along with where they rank today).
Girls
- Emily (25)
- Hannah (52)
- Madison (46)
- Ashley (124)
- Sarah (95)
- Alexis (506)
- Samantha (127)
- Jessica (574)
- Elizabeth (17)
- Taylor (353)
- Lauren (351)
- Alyssa (399)
- Kayla (336)
- Abigail (32)
- Brianna (181)
- Olivia (1)
- Emma (2)
- Megan (761)
- Grace (40)
- Victoria (48)
- Rachel (247)
- Anna (94)
- Sydney (288)
- Destiny (481)
- Morgan (276)
Boys
- Jacob (41)
- Michael (18)
- Matthew (33)
- Joshua (57)
- Christopher (61)
- Nicholas (118)
- Andrew (68)
- Joseph (32)
- Daniel (16)
- Tyler (191)
- William (10)
- Brandon (230)
- Ryan (87)
- John (21)
- Zachary (194)
- David (31)
- Anthony (44)
- James (5)
- Justin (199)
- Alexander (27)
- Jonathan (83)
- Christian (77)
- Austin (107)
- Dylan (28)
- Ethan (19)