Most Popular Baby Names

The United States Social Security Administration recently released the list of the most popular baby names for 1998. Compiled by actuary Michael W. Shackleford, the list is based on a 40% sample of Social Security card applications for babies received between January and August, 1998.

Here are the top ten boys and girls names in the United States for 1998:

Babycenter provides a list of the 100 most popular names for 1998.

Geographically, the distribution of popular names is quite fascinating. A great chart summarizes the most popular baby names in each state. For instance, Jose has become the most popular boy's name in California and Texas, indicating the increasing Hispanic populations of those states while the girl's name of Madison is very popular in the mountainous West.

Michael also maintains historical lists of the most popular baby names since 1880!

If you're interested in the most popular names in the U.S. among all people, the U.S. Census Bureau maintains a site that provides the most popular first and last names from the 1990 Census.

Babycenter also provides a state-by-state listing of the ten most popular names in that state. Click your favorite states below to view each list.

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