The most popular Gen Z names are Emily for girls and Jacob for boys: 344,456 girls and 441,312 boys got those names from 1997 to 2012, by Social Security records. This guide lists the 50 most popular Gen Z names for girls and boys with their meanings, the #1 names of each year, the names that first became common with Gen Z, and where those names stand now.
The Pew Research Center starts Gen Z with people born in 1997 and hasn’t set an end year. This guide uses 1997 to 2012, the same 16-year span as the Millennial generation before it.
What Are the Most Popular Gen Z Girl Names?
The 50 names given to the most girls born from 1997 to 2012, with their meanings from Behind the Name where it gives one and their rank among girls born in 2025:
| Name | Meaning | Babies, 1997 to 2012 | Rank in 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Emily | form of Emil | 344,456 | #34 |
| 2. Madison | son of Maud | 281,271 | #40 |
| 3. Emma | whole or universal | 268,532 | #3 |
| 4. Hannah | favor or grace | 240,312 | #56 |
| 5. Olivia | – | 239,108 | #1 |
| 6. Abigail | my father is joy | 223,595 | #41 |
| 7. Isabella | form of Isabel | 223,349 | #7 |
| 8. Samantha | flower | 216,471 | #151 |
| 9. Elizabeth | my God is an oath | 209,663 | #17 |
| 10. Ashley | ash tree clearing | 208,380 | #164 |
| 11. Alexis | – | 207,212 | #554 |
| 12. Sarah | lady, princess, noblewoman | 201,397 | #90 |
| 13. Sophia | wisdom | 197,477 | #5 |
| 14. Alyssa | form of Alicia | 173,014 | #453 |
| 15. Taylor | tailor | 171,953 | #403 |
| 16. Jessica | – | 154,460 | #665 |
| 17. Ava | – | 153,458 | #11 |
| 18. Grace | grace | 152,991 | #38 |
| 19. Brianna | form of Briana | 152,382 | #222 |
| 20. Lauren | from Laurentum | 149,455 | #401 |
| 21. Kayla | – | 148,127 | #364 |
| 22. Natalie | Christmas Day | 142,605 | #89 |
| 23. Victoria | victory | 140,787 | #54 |
| 24. Chloe | green shoot | 140,720 | #23 |
| 25. Anna | form of Hannah | 133,809 | #107 |
| 26. Mia | form of Maria | 125,547 | #6 |
| 27. Jasmine | climbing plant with fragrant flowers | 115,885 | #206 |
| 28. Hailey | hay clearing | 115,206 | #104 |
| 29. Sydney | from a surname | 114,443 | #348 |
| 30. Rachel | ewe | 114,148 | #250 |
| 31. Megan | pearl | 112,447 | #889 |
| 32. Morgan | form of Morgen | 112,064 | #312 |
| 33. Julia | – | 108,211 | #131 |
| 34. Destiny | destiny, fate | 103,599 | #635 |
| 35. Jennifer | – | 103,488 | #586 |
| 36. Katherine | – | 102,028 | #186 |
| 37. Savannah | large grassy plain | 100,659 | #135 |
| 38. Allison | form of Alison | 98,895 | #103 |
| 39. Kaitlyn | form of Caitlin | 98,821 | #802 |
| 40. Ella | – | 98,177 | #29 |
| 41. Alexandra | form of Alexander | 97,910 | #237 |
| 42. Nicole | form of Nicholas | 92,641 | #383 |
| 43. Maria | – | 87,849 | #87 |
| 44. Haley | hay clearing | 87,537 | #861 |
| 45. Kaylee | – | 85,663 | #255 |
| 46. Lily | flower | 85,570 | #18 |
| 47. Amanda | lovable, worthy of love | 83,894 | #493 |
| 48. Brooke | from a surname | 83,823 | #313 |
| 49. Stephanie | crown | 82,452 | #557 |
| 50. Addison | son of Adam | 81,222 | #84 |
What Are the Most Popular Gen Z Boy Names?
The 50 names given to the most boys born from 1997 to 2012, with their meanings from Behind the Name where it gives one and their rank among boys born in 2025:
| Name | Meaning | Babies, 1997 to 2012 | Rank in 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Jacob | – | 441,312 | #43 |
| 2. Michael | who is like God? | 409,231 | #21 |
| 3. Joshua | Yahweh is salvation | 357,647 | #66 |
| 4. Matthew | gift of Yahweh | 357,037 | #32 |
| 5. Christopher | bearing Christ | 324,338 | #68 |
| 6. Daniel | God is my judge | 319,274 | #22 |
| 7. Andrew | manly, masculine | 315,535 | #73 |
| 8. William | – | 307,340 | #9 |
| 9. Joseph | he will add | 304,412 | #29 |
| 10. Anthony | – | 294,097 | #46 |
| 11. Ethan | solid, enduring, firm | 284,043 | #24 |
| 12. David | beloved | 283,283 | #35 |
| 13. Nicholas | – | 283,134 | #112 |
| 14. Alexander | – | 278,590 | #30 |
| 15. Ryan | descendant of Rían | 269,411 | #99 |
| 16. Tyler | tiler of roofs | 263,862 | #220 |
| 17. James | – | 262,466 | #6 |
| 18. John | Yahweh is gracious | 256,763 | #23 |
| 19. Brandon | hill covered with broom | 237,044 | #261 |
| 20. Noah | rest, comfort | 231,908 | #2 |
| 21. Jonathan | Yahweh has given | 228,873 | #89 |
| 22. Christian | a Christian | 217,881 | #96 |
| 23. Zachary | form of Zacharias | 217,508 | #216 |
| 24. Benjamin | – | 215,658 | #11 |
| 25. Samuel | – | 215,652 | #18 |
| 26. Dylan | – | 213,927 | #41 |
| 27. Austin | form of Augustine | 203,096 | #113 |
| 28. Nathan | he gave | 201,757 | #63 |
| 29. Logan | little hollow | 199,948 | #53 |
| 30. Justin | – | 198,875 | #233 |
| 31. Gabriel | God is my strong man | 177,511 | #37 |
| 32. Robert | bright fame | 174,553 | #92 |
| 33. Jose | – | 172,711 | #95 |
| 34. Elijah | my God is Yahweh | 169,603 | #7 |
| 35. Kevin | – | 169,273 | #221 |
| 36. Jordan | – | 167,587 | #131 |
| 37. Caleb | dog | 166,673 | #58 |
| 38. Thomas | twin | 161,609 | #34 |
| 39. Mason | stoneworker | 158,261 | #39 |
| 40. Cameron | crooked nose | 150,070 | #76 |
| 41. Hunter | – | 148,595 | #130 |
| 42. Jackson | son of Jack | 143,197 | #36 |
| 43. Jayden | form of Jaden | 141,216 | #70 |
| 44. Aaron | – | 141,213 | #80 |
| 45. Jack | Yahweh is gracious | 138,903 | #15 |
| 46. Isaiah | Yahweh is salvation | 138,110 | #57 |
| 47. Evan | form of John | 137,385 | #153 |
| 48. Isaac | – | 137,216 | #47 |
| 49. Jason | to heal | 133,965 | #165 |
| 50. Luke | from Lucania | 133,458 | #33 |
Seven of the 10 boys’ names were also in the Millennial top 10, but only three of the girls’ names were: Emily, Elizabeth and Ashley. The Millennial names guide has the earlier list.
What Was the Top Gen Z Name Each Year?
| Year | Top girl name | Top boy name |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Emily (25,734) | Michael (37,562) |
| 1998 | Emily (26,188) | Michael (36,618) |
| 1999 | Emily (26,542) | Jacob (35,371) |
| 2000 | Emily (25,959) | Jacob (34,492) |
| 2001 | Emily (25,059) | Jacob (32,573) |
| 2002 | Emily (24,470) | Jacob (30,586) |
| 2003 | Emily (25,693) | Jacob (29,658) |
| 2004 | Emily (25,042) | Jacob (27,911) |
| 2005 | Emily (23,952) | Jacob (25,851) |
| 2006 | Emily (21,412) | Jacob (24,871) |
| 2007 | Emily (19,367) | Jacob (24,310) |
| 2008 | Emma (18,830) | Jacob (22,621) |
| 2009 | Isabella (22,321) | Jacob (21,204) |
| 2010 | Isabella (22,936) | Jacob (22,157) |
| 2011 | Sophia (21,863) | Jacob (20,403) |
| 2012 | Sophia (22,336) | Jacob (19,110) |
Jacob was the top boy name in 14 of the 16 years. For girls, four names took turns at #1: Emily, Emma, Isabella and Sophia.
Which Names Arrived With Gen Z?
Among the 100 most popular Gen Z names for each sex, these grew the most compared with the Millennial years. Each figure is the average number of babies per year:
| Name | 1981 to 1996 | 1997 to 2012 | 2013 to 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevaeh | 0 | 3,503 | 3,537 |
| Ava | 194 | 9,591 | 14,393 |
| Addison | 105 | 5,076 | 5,499 |
| Isabella | 470 | 13,959 | 14,687 |
| Ella | 210 | 6,136 | 7,929 |
| Trinity | 161 | 3,742 | 1,803 |
| Aiden | 38 | 8,166 | 10,540 |
| Jayden | 61 | 8,826 | 9,316 |
| Brayden | 146 | 5,019 | 4,487 |
| Aidan | 245 | 5,817 | 1,762 |
| Liam | 393 | 5,824 | 21,471 |
| Carter | 377 | 5,228 | 9,046 |
Nevaeh doesn’t appear in the records in any Millennial year, and Gen Z made it common. Aiden and Jayden went from a few dozen boys a year to thousands. Several kept growing after 2012, such as Ava and Liam.
Are Gen Z Names More Varied Than Millennial Names?
| Millennials, 1981 to 1996 | Gen Z, 1997 to 2012 | |
|---|---|---|
| Girls in the top 10 names | 14.8% | 8.4% |
| Boys in the top 10 names | 19.6% | 10.9% |
| Different names given | 46,641 | 63,592 |
Yes. Over the same number of years, Gen Z babies got about a third more different names, and the top 10 names covered a much smaller share of them.
Where Are the Top Gen Z Names Now?
| Name | Rank in 2025 | People alive | Average age |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emily | #34 | 814,621 | 27.9 |
| Madison | #40 | 420,719 | 19.1 |
| Emma | #3 | 570,127 | 19.6 |
| Jacob | #43 | 928,992 | 25.1 |
| Michael | #21 | 3,595,413 | 48.4 |
| Joshua | #66 | 1,196,609 | 31.6 |
Rank is among names for the same sex. Average age covers everyone alive with the name, not only Gen Z: Michael‘s 48.4 reflects its long run as a top name, while Madison is 19.1: 88% of all the Madisons in the records were born in 1997 or later.
Look Up a Gen Z Name
- Type the name in the search box on the home page.
- Its chart shows when the name rose and peaked; its page shows about how many people have it and their average age.
- For how names rise and fall in general, see how name popularity changes over time.