The 1997 Baby Name Report

3,625,749 babies, 24,889 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of 1997

👑 #1 girls: Emily (2 years running) 👑 #1 boys: Michael (37 years running) 1,578 debuts

Top girls

  1. Emily25,735
  2. Jessica21,045
  3. Ashley20,896
  4. Sarah20,716
  5. Hannah20,596
  6. Samantha20,170
  7. Taylor19,504
  8. Alexis17,171
  9. Elizabeth15,428
  10. Madison15,189

Top boys

  1. Michael37,557
  2. Jacob34,163
  3. Matthew31,518
  4. Christopher29,106
  5. Joshua28,288
  6. Nicholas27,257
  7. Andrew25,208
  8. Brandon25,196
  9. Austin25,118
  10. Tyler24,878

Full top-50 rankings for 1997 →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Yulissa #4,452 → #424 (+4,028)
  2. Tea #3,499 → #796 (+2,703)
  3. Taya #2,958 → #857 (+2,101)
  4. Jaret #2,162 → #726 (+1,436)
  5. Julisa #1,939 → #730 (+1,209)
  6. Camryn #1,796 → #851 (+945)
  7. Salma #1,569 → #735 (+834)
  8. Gisselle #1,532 → #761 (+771)
  9. Aylin #1,385 → #640 (+745)
  10. Kobe #1,271 → #553 (+718)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Yamilex #707 → #1,652 (−945)
  2. Shaquille #664 → #1,226 (−562)
  3. Chynna #834 → #1,295 (−461)
  4. Moesha #548 → #945 (−397)
  5. Iesha #761 → #1,125 (−364)
  6. Dania #764 → #1,112 (−348)
  7. Brittni #916 → #1,250 (−334)
  8. Odalys #681 → #996 (−315)
  9. Estefania #591 → #890 (−299)
  10. Shantel #578 → #863 (−285)

✨ Never recorded before 1997

Erykah (279) Yuliza (63) Cross (43) Zeandre (37) Livan (36) Ajaysia (31) Keja (22) Reganne (19) Allure (18) Taeya (18)

1,578 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in 1997.

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What were the most popular baby names in 1997?
Emily was the #1 girl name and Michael the #1 boy name in 1997, out of 3,625,749 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in 1997?
Yulissa made the biggest jump in 1997, climbing 4,028 spots to #424.
How many new baby names appeared in 1997?
1,578 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in 1997.