Most Popular Baby Names of 2006

In 2006, Emily was the most popular name for girls, given to 21,412 babies, and Jacob topped the boys' list with 24,871. Emily held on to number one for a 11th year in a row, and Jacob held on to number one for a eighth year in a row.

Social Security counted 1,901,209 girls and 2,055,273 boys born in 2006 under names given to at least five babies, spread across 20,064 different girls' names and 14,047 boys' names.

Top 100 names of 2006

Top girls' names, 2006
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 2005
1	Emily	21,412	same
2	Emma	19,133	same
3	Madison	18,635	same
4	Isabella	18,231	up 2
5	Ava	16,941	up 4
6	Abigail	15,633	down 2
7	Olivia	15,508	down 2
8	Hannah	14,556	down 1
9	Sophia	13,503	up 3
10	Samantha	12,470	down 2
11	Elizabeth	12,440	same
12	Ashley	12,353	down 2
13	Mia	12,027	up 4
14	Alexis	11,239	down 1
15	Sarah	11,161	same
16	Grace	10,974	down 2
17	Natalie	10,951	up 1
18	Chloe	10,404	up 1
19	Alyssa	10,177	down 3
20	Brianna	9,370	same
21	Ella	9,213	up 2
22	Anna	8,613	same
23	Taylor	8,566	up 1
24	Lauren	8,498	down 3
25	Hailey	8,423	up 1
26	Kayla	8,226	down 1
27	Victoria	7,653	up 1
28	Addison	7,622	up 78
29	Jasmine	7,521	same
30	Savannah	7,096	up 5
31	Julia	6,884	same
32	Jessica	6,815	down 5
33	Lily	6,768	up 6
34	Sydney	6,516	down 4
35	Morgan	6,495	down 2
36	Destiny	6,313	down 4
37	Katherine	6,295	down 1
38	Lillian	6,236	up 12
39	Alexa	6,117	up 27
40	Alexandra	6,101	down 3
41	Kaitlyn	6,074	down 7
42	Kaylee	5,998	down 2
43	Nevaeh	5,956	up 26
44	Brooke	5,747	up 3
45	Makayla	5,652	down 1
46	Maria	5,604	same
47	Allison	5,564	down 2
48	Rachel	5,551	down 10
49	Angelina	5,526	down 6
50	Gabriella	5,372	up 11
51	Jennifer	5,268	down 9
52	Avery	5,254	up 15
53	Mackenzie	5,205	down 2
54	Zoe	5,153	up 4
55	Sofia	5,082	down 3
56	Riley	5,056	down 2
57	Maya	5,047	up 16
58	Kimberly	5,011	up 5
59	Andrea	5,006	up 6
60	Megan	4,946	down 19
61	Katelyn	4,890	down 2
62	Faith	4,864	down 13
63	Gabrielle	4,846	down 8
64	Trinity	4,838	down 16
65	Evelyn	4,751	up 6
66	Brooklyn	4,719	up 12
67	Kylie	4,719	down 10
68	Leah	4,657	same
69	Audrey	4,649	up 8
70	Stephanie	4,511	down 6
71	Madeline	4,477	down 1
72	Sara	4,411	up 3
73	Jocelyn	4,370	up 14
74	Nicole	4,322	down 18
75	Haley	4,298	down 22
76	Arianna	4,292	up 12
77	Paige	4,267	down 17
78	Ariana	4,234	up 4
79	Vanessa	4,169	up 1
80	Mary	4,116	down 8
81	Michelle	4,090	down 7
82	Mariah	4,075	up 3
83	Amelia	4,065	up 1
84	Isabelle	4,042	up 12
85	Melanie	4,034	up 7
86	Claire	4,013	up 9
87	Isabel	4,009	up 2
88	Jenna	3,941	down 26
89	Caroline	3,791	down 6
90	Aaliyah	3,745	up 3
91	Valeria	3,731	up 46
92	Jada	3,674	down 16
93	Aubrey	3,660	up 60
94	Natalia	3,588	up 29
95	Autumn	3,581	down 5
96	Rebecca	3,573	down 15
97	Jordan	3,547	down 11
98	Gianna	3,454	up 12
99	Jayla	3,410	up 98
100	Amanda	3,362	down 21

Top boys' names, 2006
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 2005
1	Jacob	24,871	same
2	Michael	22,653	same
3	Joshua	22,336	same
4	Ethan	20,522	up 1
5	Matthew	20,339	down 1
6	Daniel	20,082	up 1
7	Andrew	19,733	down 1
8	Christopher	19,688	up 2
9	Anthony	19,413	down 1
10	William	18,965	up 1
11	Joseph	18,471	down 2
12	Alexander	18,235	up 1
13	David	17,671	down 1
14	Ryan	16,434	same
15	Noah	16,342	up 8
16	James	16,255	up 1
17	Nicholas	15,675	down 2
18	Tyler	15,550	down 2
19	John	15,177	down 1
20	Logan	15,151	up 6
21	Christian	14,487	up 1
22	Jonathan	14,387	down 3
23	Nathan	14,278	down 3
24	Benjamin	13,766	up 1
25	Samuel	13,652	down 4
26	Dylan	13,171	down 2
27	Brandon	12,686	same
28	Gabriel	12,543	same
29	Elijah	12,055	up 2
30	Jose	11,604	same
31	Angel	11,602	up 1
32	Aiden	11,591	up 18
33	Zachary	11,013	down 4
34	Caleb	11,001	up 1
35	Jackson	10,896	up 9
36	Jack	10,837	down 2
37	Kevin	10,779	down 4
38	Gavin	10,479	up 9
39	Isaiah	10,459	up 6
40	Mason	10,414	up 2
41	Austin	10,293	down 3
42	Evan	10,129	down 3
43	Luke	10,087	down 2
44	Aidan	10,035	down 1
45	Justin	9,973	down 9
46	Jordan	9,935	same
47	Robert	9,911	down 10
48	Isaac	9,685	up 1
49	Jayden	9,624	up 5
50	Landon	9,574	up 11
51	Thomas	9,514	down 11
52	Cameron	8,856	same
53	Connor	8,676	down 5
54	Hunter	8,574	down 1
55	Jason	8,456	down 4
56	Diego	8,403	up 6
57	Aaron	8,310	same
58	Owen	8,173	up 2
59	Lucas	8,139	down 1
60	Charles	8,013	down 4
61	Juan	7,940	down 6
62	Luis	7,921	down 3
63	Adrian	7,383	up 2
64	Adam	6,806	same
65	Julian	6,797	up 9
66	Bryan	6,699	up 6
67	Alex	6,670	up 4
68	Sean	6,643	up 7
69	Nathaniel	6,627	down 2
70	Carlos	6,549	same
71	Jeremiah	6,544	up 7
72	Brian	6,511	down 9
73	Hayden	6,470	up 3
74	Jesus	6,461	down 1
75	Carter	6,433	up 2
76	Sebastian	6,287	up 10
77	Eric	6,232	down 11
78	Xavier	6,184	up 9
79	Brayden	6,160	up 1
80	Ian	6,154	down 12
81	Kyle	6,150	down 12
82	Wyatt	5,835	down 1
83	Chase	5,746	down 1
84	Cole	5,640	down 5
85	Dominic	5,577	same
86	Tristan	5,414	up 27
87	Carson	5,012	up 14
88	Jaden	4,947	same
89	Miguel	4,903	up 4
90	Steven	4,824	down 7
91	Caden	4,775	up 7
92	Kaden	4,746	up 8
93	Timothy	4,706	down 9
94	Antonio	4,697	down 2
95	Henry	4,677	up 7
96	Alejandro	4,551	up 1
97	Blake	4,537	up 2
98	Liam	4,514	up 6
99	Richard	4,469	down 5
100	Devin	4,451	down 10

Biggest climbers in 2006

The names that gained the most ground within the top 1,000 compared with 2005.

Girls

Ayla: up 399 places, from 664th to 265th
Addyson: up 382 places, from 755th to 373rd
Sherlyn: up 358 places, from 725th to 367th
Danika: up 272 places, from 848th to 576th
Yoselin: up 268 places, from 870th to 602nd
Valery: up 262 places, from 978th to 716th
Danica: up 258 places, from 611th to 353rd
Siena: up 235 places, from 866th to 631st
Harper: up 233 places, from 743rd to 510th
Lyla: up 223 places, from 865th to 642nd

Boys

Cash: up 300 places, from 680th to 380th
Leland: up 265 places, from 608th to 343rd
Talan: up 233 places, from 542nd to 309th
Talon: up 197 places, from 623rd to 426th
Lincoln: up 194 places, from 495th to 301st
Nash: up 190 places, from 933rd to 743rd
Rashad: up 183 places, from 843rd to 660th
Jordy: up 162 places, from 842nd to 680th
Jordyn: up 144 places, from 930th to 786th
Landyn: up 135 places, from 715th to 580th

New to the top 1,000 in 2006

Girls

Rihanna, 531st (its first time ever)
Evangeline, 598th (back after dropping out)
Addisyn, 616th (its first time ever)
Akeelah, 708th (its first time ever)
Cherish, 743rd (back after dropping out)
Mila, 746th (back after dropping out)
Betsy, 747th (back after dropping out)
Adison, 768th (its first time ever)
Shakira, 780th (back after dropping out)
Lilyana, 784th (its first time ever)

Boys

Krish, 633rd (its first time ever)
Yandel, 677th (its first time ever)
Beckett, 753rd (its first time ever)
Ace, 841st (back after dropping out)
Kael, 852nd (its first time ever)
Bode, 856th (its first time ever)
Koen, 861st (its first time ever)
Eddy, 868th (back after dropping out)
Haiden, 874th (back after dropping out)
Hezekiah, 877th (back after dropping out)

How spread out were names in 2006?

The ten most popular girls' names went to 8.7% of the girls counted in 2006, and the top ten boys' names to 10.1% of the boys. In 1986, those shares were 18.1% for girls and 22.2% for boys.

Source: Social Security Administration, national baby name data, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.