Most Popular Baby Names of 1988

In 1988, the most popular baby names in the United States were Jessica for girls and Michael for boys. Jessica was given to 51,556 girls and Michael to 64,171 boys, according to Social Security card applications.

Across all names, the Social Security Administration recorded 3,695,137 births for names given to at least five babies that year, up from 3,605,616 in 1987. The tables below show the top 100 names for each sex with their rank change from the year before, followed by the biggest movers in the top 1,000.

New to the top 100 this year: Katelyn, Kara, Brianna, Alexis, Kaitlin, and Melanie.

← 1987 1989 →The 1980s Download top 1,000 (CSV)

Top 100 baby names of 1988

Girls

Girls
#	Name	Babies	Change
1	Jessica	51,556	–
2	Ashley	49,977	–
3	Amanda	39,459	–
4	Sarah	28,374	↑ 1
5	Jennifer	27,893	↓ 1
6	Brittany	26,816	↑ 1
7	Stephanie	22,843	↓ 1
8	Samantha	20,700	↑ 3
9	Nicole	20,315	↓ 1
10	Elizabeth	20,042	–
11	Lauren	19,637	↑ 5
12	Megan	18,570	–
13	Tiffany	18,364	↑ 5
14	Heather	18,033	↓ 5
15	Amber	16,676	–
16	Melissa	16,546	↓ 3
17	Danielle	16,253	↓ 3
18	Emily	15,869	↑ 1
19	Rachel	15,348	↓ 2
20	Kayla	13,433	↑ 7
21	Michelle	13,339	–
22	Christina	12,954	↓ 2
23	Laura	12,126	↓ 1
24	Courtney	12,043	↑ 9
25	Kimberly	11,948	↓ 2
26	Rebecca	11,877	↓ 1
27	Katherine	11,154	↑ 1
28	Crystal	10,101	↓ 2
29	Amy	10,034	↓ 5
30	Sara	10,020	↓ 1
31	Erica	9,591	–
32	Kelly	8,917	↓ 2
33	Chelsea	8,879	↑ 14
34	Mary	8,518	↑ 3
35	Andrea	8,392	↑ 1
36	Kristen	8,382	↑ 6
37	Erin	8,267	↓ 3
38	Angela	7,914	↓ 3
39	Whitney	7,853	↓ 7
40	Katie	7,770	↓ 2
41	Vanessa	7,516	↑ 2
42	Victoria	7,283	↑ 8
43	Lisa	7,267	↓ 3
44	Caitlin	7,246	↑ 19
45	Jamie	7,187	↓ 6
46	Allison	7,145	↓ 2
47	Alyssa	7,135	↑ 13
48	Lindsey	7,001	↓ 7
49	Alexandra	6,972	↑ 10
50	Alicia	6,700	↓ 4
51	Christine	6,612	↓ 3
52	Brittney	6,576	↑ 9
53	Jasmine	6,446	↑ 26
54	Anna	6,444	↓ 2
55	Kathryn	6,342	↓ 4
56	Shannon	6,256	↓ 11
57	Lindsay	6,025	↓ 8
58	Kristin	6,019	↓ 3
59	Cassandra	5,727	↑ 9
60	Maria	5,713	↓ 7
61	Hannah	5,562	↑ 5
62	Jacqueline	5,544	↓ 8
63	Natalie	5,483	↓ 7
64	Kelsey	5,452	↑ 3
65	April	4,840	↓ 7
66	Jenna	4,607	↓ 9
67	Tara	4,606	↑ 2
68	Kristina	4,578	↓ 6
69	Catherine	4,504	↑ 5
70	Monica	4,463	↓ 6
71	Julie	4,462	↓ 6
72	Holly	4,217	↓ 1
73	Natasha	4,039	–
74	Krystal	4,019	↓ 4
75	Kathleen	3,927	↓ 3
76	Erika	3,886	↓ 1
77	Patricia	3,799	↓ 1
78	Morgan	3,796	↑ 17
79	Cynthia	3,784	↑ 5
80	Kendra	3,761	↓ 3
81	Meghan	3,609	↓ 3
82	Leah	3,558	–
83	Veronica	3,525	↓ 3
84	Katelyn	3,510	↑ 43
85	Diana	3,489	–
86	Molly	3,461	↑ 11
87	Brooke	3,416	↑ 7
88	Julia	3,359	↓ 2
89	Bethany	3,270	↓ 2
90	Dana	3,192	↓ 7
91	Brandi	3,169	↓ 3
92	Casey	3,150	↓ 11
93	Margaret	3,139	↓ 3
94	Leslie	3,079	↓ 5
95	Kara	3,039	↑ 9
96	Brianna	2,963	↑ 26
97	Alexis	2,900	↑ 16
98	Kaitlin	2,841	↑ 43
99	Melanie	2,834	↑ 3
100	Rachael	2,831	↓ 2

Boys

Boys
#	Name	Babies	Change
1	Michael	64,171	–
2	Christopher	53,014	–
3	Matthew	45,876	–
4	Joshua	42,653	–
5	Andrew	35,745	↑ 1
6	David	35,329	↓ 1
7	Justin	35,055	↑ 2
8	Daniel	34,718	↓ 1
9	James	32,523	↓ 1
10	Robert	30,319	–
11	John	29,427	–
12	Joseph	29,019	–
13	Ryan	27,747	–
14	Nicholas	25,303	↑ 2
15	Jonathan	24,349	↑ 3
16	William	24,126	↓ 1
17	Brandon	23,744	↓ 3
18	Anthony	23,644	↓ 1
19	Eric	20,175	↑ 2
20	Kevin	20,168	↓ 1
21	Kyle	19,895	↑ 1
22	Brian	19,532	↓ 2
23	Thomas	18,806	↑ 1
24	Steven	17,865	↑ 1
25	Timothy	16,807	↑ 1
26	Adam	16,467	↑ 1
27	Jason	15,917	↓ 4
28	Jacob	15,883	↑ 3
29	Zachary	15,870	↑ 4
30	Benjamin	15,187	↓ 2
31	Aaron	14,408	↑ 3
32	Richard	14,144	↓ 2
33	Tyler	13,349	↑ 6
34	Alexander	13,341	↑ 3
35	Jeremy	13,169	↓ 6
36	Jeffrey	12,401	↓ 4
37	Charles	12,109	↓ 2
38	Sean	11,794	↑ 2
39	Mark	11,715	↓ 3
40	Stephen	11,607	↓ 2
41	Travis	11,423	↑ 1
42	Patrick	11,400	↓ 1
43	Cody	10,583	↑ 6
44	Nathan	10,154	↑ 1
45	Samuel	9,564	↑ 5
46	Paul	9,438	–
47	Scott	9,351	↓ 4
48	Dustin	9,337	↓ 4
49	Jose	9,007	↓ 1
50	Gregory	8,629	↓ 3
51	Kenneth	8,567	↑ 2
52	Jordan	8,490	–
53	Derek	8,073	↑ 1
54	Bryan	8,036	↓ 3
55	Jesse	7,914	–
56	Corey	7,328	↑ 1
57	Bradley	7,017	↓ 1
58	Alex	6,408	↑ 2
59	Cory	6,266	↑ 3
60	Jared	6,211	↓ 2
61	Shawn	5,893	↓ 2
62	Edward	5,801	↓ 1
63	Austin	5,588	↑ 13
64	Peter	5,425	–
65	Chad	5,299	↓ 2
66	Marcus	5,207	↑ 1
67	Shane	5,173	↓ 2
68	Juan	5,171	↓ 2
69	Cameron	4,985	↑ 27
70	Keith	4,949	↓ 1
71	Phillip	4,576	↓ 3
72	Antonio	4,461	–
73	Brett	4,375	↓ 2
74	Evan	4,337	↑ 9
75	Luis	4,333	↑ 7
76	Donald	4,328	↓ 6
77	Ian	4,315	↑ 4
78	George	4,296	↓ 1
79	Ronald	4,173	↓ 6
80	Carlos	4,127	↓ 6
81	Nathaniel	4,054	↓ 3
82	Vincent	4,054	↑ 13
83	Casey	4,039	↓ 3
84	Raymond	4,036	↓ 5
85	Joel	3,940	↓ 10
86	Christian	3,937	↑ 4
87	Trevor	3,695	↑ 6
88	Douglas	3,655	↓ 3
89	Victor	3,628	↑ 2
90	Seth	3,493	↓ 1
91	Taylor	3,492	↑ 26
92	Erik	3,478	↑ 2
93	Wesley	3,478	↓ 1
94	Philip	3,373	↓ 10
95	Mitchell	3,323	↑ 6
96	Craig	3,306	↓ 8
97	Derrick	3,304	↓ 11
98	Devin	3,302	↑ 1
99	Frank	3,271	↓ 2
100	Gary	3,244	↓ 13

Biggest movers of 1988

Changes in rank within the top 1,000 compared with the year before.

Rising Girls

Jerica ↑ 236 #592
Katelynn ↑ 225 #518
Arielle ↑ 213 #368
Alexander ↑ 208 #602
Simone ↑ 199 #311
Katlyn ↑ 193 #448
Kyra ↑ 186 #559
Beatriz ↑ 173 #535
Eden ↑ 169 #687
Rebeca ↑ 169 #799

Falling Girls

Krystina ↓ 239 #698
Santana ↓ 211 #995
Sherri ↓ 187 #728
Brandon ↓ 184 #990
Jodie ↓ 176 #853
Dominque ↓ 172 #863
Giselle ↓ 167 #864
Casie ↓ 165 #940
Andria ↓ 164 #923
Chiquita ↓ 162 #872

New in the top 1,000 (Girls)

Shanice, Jaleesa, Jalisa, Whitley, Brittny, Geraldine, Deja, Taja, Chelsi, Julissa, Genesis, Logan, Katlin, Kimber, Cecily

Dropped out of the top 1,000 (Girls)

Channing, Nakita, Malorie, Mallorie, Eliana, Shanda, Dannielle, Ashlea, Candis, Jenelle, Kia, Chana, Shanta, Dolores, Edna

Rising Boys

Irving ↑ 379 #522
Irvin ↑ 264 #506
Colton ↑ 226 #268
Kameron ↑ 179 #546
Austen ↑ 178 #783
Kirby ↑ 176 #688
Drake ↑ 160 #626
Trever ↑ 159 #748
Donta ↑ 146 #847
Tucker ↑ 145 #630

Falling Boys

Tyrel ↓ 197 #942
Domingo ↓ 168 #951
Whitney ↓ 162 #896
Jermey ↓ 153 #958
Raymundo ↓ 147 #928
Torey ↓ 147 #992
Johnpaul ↓ 139 #974
Cordero ↓ 136 #617
Madison ↓ 131 #954
Vaughn ↓ 125 #804

New in the top 1,000 (Boys)

Camron, Colten, Long, Samson, Codey, Arsenio, Jaquan, Geraldo, Martez, Kelby, Garrison, Jade, Jamarcus, Donavon, Percy

Dropped out of the top 1,000 (Boys)

Kiel, Stevie, Andrea, Scot, Ramsey, Sarah, Cordaro, Octavius, Stephanie, Kai, Scottie, Uriah, Christoper, Erwin, Denis

Other years

Trend lists

Source: US Social Security Administration. Ranks are computed from birth counts for each sex; names given to fewer than five babies in a year are not published.