Most popular baby names of 2016
Top 100 boys & girls in 2016. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
In 2016, the most popular US baby name for girls was Emma (19,550 babies) and for boys was Noah (19,188 babies), according to the Social Security Administration. The top five girl names were Emma, Olivia, Ava, Sophia, Isabella; the top five boy names were Noah, Liam, William, Mason, James. The full top 100 for each sex, with birth counts, is below.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names. Data as of SSA national data through 2025, state data through 2025, retrieved June 2026.
Top 100 girl names, 2016
| # | Name | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emma | 19,550 |
| 2 | Olivia | 19,414 |
| 3 | Ava | 16,354 |
| 4 | Sophia | 16,185 |
| 5 | Isabella | 14,863 |
| 6 | Mia | 14,464 |
| 7 | Charlotte | 13,118 |
| 8 | Abigail | 11,796 |
| 9 | Emily | 11,006 |
| 10 | Amelia | 10,809 |
| 11 | Harper | 10,803 |
| 12 | Evelyn | 10,116 |
| 13 | Elizabeth | 9,607 |
| 14 | Sofia | 9,179 |
| 15 | Madison | 9,057 |
| 16 | Avery | 8,774 |
| 17 | Ella | 7,940 |
| 18 | Scarlett | 7,720 |
| 19 | Grace | 7,617 |
| 20 | Chloe | 7,484 |
| 21 | Victoria | 7,329 |
| 22 | Riley | 7,159 |
| 23 | Aria | 6,949 |
| 24 | Lily | 6,610 |
| 25 | Aubrey | 6,552 |
| 26 | Zoey | 6,481 |
| 27 | Penelope | 6,400 |
| 28 | Lillian | 6,386 |
| 29 | Addison | 6,341 |
| 30 | Layla | 6,300 |
| 31 | Natalie | 6,191 |
| 32 | Camila | 6,054 |
| 33 | Hannah | 6,038 |
| 34 | Brooklyn | 5,971 |
| 35 | Zoe | 5,764 |
| 36 | Nora | 5,593 |
| 37 | Leah | 5,434 |
| 38 | Savannah | 5,389 |
| 39 | Audrey | 5,369 |
| 40 | Claire | 5,216 |
| 41 | Eleanor | 5,140 |
| 42 | Skylar | 5,137 |
| 43 | Ellie | 5,074 |
| 44 | Samantha | 4,956 |
| 45 | Stella | 4,933 |
| 46 | Paisley | 4,883 |
| 47 | Violet | 4,882 |
| 48 | Mila | 4,830 |
| 49 | Anna | 4,810 |
| 50 | Allison | 4,786 |
| 51 | Alexa | 4,775 |
| 52 | Hazel | 4,682 |
| 53 | Aaliyah | 4,660 |
| 54 | Ariana | 4,609 |
| 55 | Lucy | 4,604 |
| 56 | Caroline | 4,437 |
| 57 | Sarah | 4,429 |
| 58 | Genesis | 4,351 |
| 59 | Kennedy | 4,341 |
| 60 | Sadie | 4,299 |
| 61 | Gabriella | 4,263 |
| 62 | Madelyn | 4,241 |
| 63 | Adeline | 4,120 |
| 64 | Maya | 4,090 |
| 65 | Autumn | 4,045 |
| 66 | Aurora | 4,006 |
| 67 | Piper | 3,956 |
| 68 | Hailey | 3,947 |
| 69 | Arianna | 3,913 |
| 70 | Serenity | 3,871 |
| 71 | Ruby | 3,847 |
| 72 | Kaylee | 3,845 |
| 73 | Nevaeh | 3,825 |
| 74 | Eva | 3,814 |
| 75 | Naomi | 3,808 |
| 76 | Alice | 3,692 |
| 77 | Luna | 3,688 |
| 78 | Bella | 3,685 |
| 79 | Quinn | 3,649 |
| 80 | Lydia | 3,625 |
| 81 | Peyton | 3,511 |
| 82 | Melanie | 3,490 |
| 83 | Kylie | 3,427 |
| 84 | Aubree | 3,422 |
| 85 | Mackenzie | 3,410 |
| 86 | Kinsley | 3,378 |
| 87 | Cora | 3,374 |
| 88 | Julia | 3,344 |
| 89 | Taylor | 3,281 |
| 90 | Madeline | 3,280 |
| 91 | Katherine | 3,276 |
| 92 | Gianna | 3,226 |
| 93 | Eliana | 3,207 |
| 94 | Elena | 3,190 |
| 95 | Vivian | 3,142 |
| 96 | Willow | 3,125 |
| 97 | Brianna | 3,098 |
| 98 | Reagan | 3,097 |
| 99 | Faith | 3,093 |
| 100 | Clara | 3,075 |
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names. Data as of SSA national data through 2025, state data through 2025, retrieved June 2026.
Top 100 boy names, 2016
| # | Name | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Noah | 19,188 |
| 2 | Liam | 18,277 |
| 3 | William | 15,810 |
| 4 | Mason | 15,287 |
| 5 | James | 14,920 |
| 6 | Benjamin | 14,686 |
| 7 | Jacob | 14,559 |
| 8 | Michael | 14,145 |
| 9 | Elijah | 13,982 |
| 10 | Ethan | 13,855 |
| 11 | Alexander | 13,446 |
| 12 | Oliver | 13,066 |
| 13 | Daniel | 12,996 |
| 14 | Lucas | 12,906 |
| 15 | Matthew | 12,665 |
| 16 | Aiden | 12,269 |
| 17 | Jackson | 11,315 |
| 18 | Logan | 11,278 |
| 19 | David | 11,153 |
| 20 | Joseph | 10,969 |
| 21 | Samuel | 10,621 |
| 22 | Henry | 10,390 |
| 23 | Sebastian | 10,309 |
| 24 | Owen | 10,305 |
| 25 | Gabriel | 10,279 |
| 26 | Carter | 10,220 |
| 27 | Jayden | 10,158 |
| 28 | John | 10,060 |
| 29 | Luke | 10,001 |
| 30 | Anthony | 9,900 |
| 31 | Isaac | 9,782 |
| 32 | Dylan | 9,720 |
| 33 | Wyatt | 9,581 |
| 34 | Andrew | 9,437 |
| 35 | Joshua | 9,258 |
| 36 | Christopher | 9,106 |
| 37 | Grayson | 8,693 |
| 38 | Jack | 8,430 |
| 39 | Julian | 8,388 |
| 40 | Ryan | 8,261 |
| 41 | Jaxon | 8,145 |
| 42 | Levi | 8,118 |
| 43 | Nathan | 8,000 |
| 44 | Caleb | 7,982 |
| 45 | Hunter | 7,681 |
| 46 | Christian | 7,674 |
| 47 | Isaiah | 7,573 |
| 48 | Thomas | 7,367 |
| 49 | Aaron | 7,178 |
| 50 | Eli | 7,132 |
| 51 | Lincoln | 7,129 |
| 52 | Charles | 7,127 |
| 53 | Landon | 7,046 |
| 54 | Connor | 7,037 |
| 55 | Josiah | 7,025 |
| 56 | Jonathan | 6,982 |
| 57 | Cameron | 6,861 |
| 58 | Jeremiah | 6,629 |
| 59 | Mateo | 6,559 |
| 60 | Adrian | 6,337 |
| 61 | Hudson | 6,127 |
| 62 | Robert | 6,010 |
| 63 | Nicholas | 5,765 |
| 64 | Brayden | 5,734 |
| 65 | Jordan | 5,680 |
| 66 | Easton | 5,643 |
| 67 | Nolan | 5,634 |
| 68 | Colton | 5,624 |
| 69 | Evan | 5,613 |
| 70 | Angel | 5,564 |
| 71 | Asher | 5,525 |
| 72 | Dominic | 5,428 |
| 73 | Austin | 5,374 |
| 74 | Leo | 5,299 |
| 75 | Adam | 5,224 |
| 76 | Jace | 5,208 |
| 77 | Jose | 5,119 |
| 78 | Ian | 5,079 |
| 79 | Cooper | 4,974 |
| 80 | Gavin | 4,944 |
| 81 | Carson | 4,931 |
| 82 | Jaxson | 4,916 |
| 83 | Theodore | 4,910 |
| 84 | Jason | 4,886 |
| 85 | Ezra | 4,882 |
| 86 | Chase | 4,868 |
| 87 | Parker | 4,730 |
| 88 | Xavier | 4,625 |
| 89 | Zachary | 4,576 |
| 90 | Kevin | 4,557 |
| 91 | Tyler | 4,515 |
| 92 | Ayden | 4,506 |
| 93 | Elias | 4,486 |
| 94 | Bryson | 4,372 |
| 95 | Greyson | 4,326 |
| 96 | Leonardo | 4,325 |
| 97 | Sawyer | 4,248 |
| 98 | Roman | 4,222 |
| 99 | Brandon | 4,101 |
| 100 | Bentley | 4,073 |
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names. Data as of SSA national data through 2025, state data through 2025, retrieved June 2026.
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Frequently asked questions
What were the most popular baby names in 2016?
In 2016, the most popular US girl name was Emma (19,550 babies) and the most popular boy name was Noah (19,188 babies), per the Social Security Administration. The top five girls were Emma, Olivia, Ava, Sophia, Isabella; the top five boys were Noah, Liam, William, Mason, James.
How many babies got the #1 name in 2016?
In 2016, Emma was given to 19,550 baby girls and Noah to 19,188 baby boys, the highest counts that year in SSA national data.
Source
U.S. Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names, national data for 2016. SSA national data through 2025, state data through 2025, retrieved June 2026. Public domain (U.S. Government). See our methodology.
Last updated: 2026-06-22