Top 20 U.S. Baby Boy Names 2008
Jacob, Michael, Ethan, Joshua, and Daniel Top the American Charts
May 10, 2009
The Social Security Baby Name Index has reported its top names for 2008. For the eleventh year in a row, Jacob has held the #1 spot for boys, and Michael has held the #2 spot.
With a few notable exceptions, there were very few changes in the top 20 boys names from 2007 to 2008. In fact, the top five choices stayed in the exact same positions for both years. Nine of the names made the top ten for both years. The only name to drop from the top ten was Andrew (down from #10 to #12) and Alexander (up from #11 to #6).
Here are the top 20 U.S. baby boy names for 2008:
- Jacob
- Michael
- Ethan
- Joshua
- Daniel
- Alexander
- Anthony
- William
- Christopher
- Matthew
- Jayden
- Andrew
- Joseph
- David
- Noah
- Aiden
- James
- Ryan
- Logan
- John
The "Aiden" Name Craze
In this mostly stable list of male names, the one standout was Aiden, the only newcomer to the list. The uber-trendy name rose from #27 in 2007 to #16 in 2008, and has climbed all the way from #324 in 2000. Spellings Aidan (#59) and Ayden (#91) also remain popular. Jayden, the most popular of the trendy sound-alike versions of Aiden, also made a significant climb from #18 and #11.
Aiden and Jayden seem to be the most enduring of the Aiden-name craze, which does seem to be dying out a bit, as Caden, Kaden, and Hayden all dropped slightly in the ranks. Up 13 points to #51, Brayden is the only other variation that conceivably could make it to the top 20. Notably, Aaden entered the top 1000 for the first time time at #343, perhaps because this is one of the sextuplets' names on John & Kate Plus 8. Zayden and Raiden also continue to climb, albeit slowly.
Up and Coming Names
So other than the Aiden variations, are there any other boys' names that might find their way to the top 20? Nathan (#21) and Elijah (#22) both have been climbing steadily and seem like strong possibilities for 2009. At #24, Gabriel has also been rising up the chart, perhaps due to the popularity of Gabriela and Gabrielle.
Boys' names with a somewhat Western feel also continue to grow in popularity. Landon, Wyatt, Chase, and Brody all continued their steady climb up the top 100 list in 2008.
Names That are Falling from Favor
The only name to drop out of the top 20 was Nicholas, which fell from #20 to #29. This marked Nicholas' first fall out of the top 20 since 1983. Christopher fell three points from #6 to #9.
Although many classic American baby boy names remain solidly in the top 20 (like William, John, James, and Daniel), quite a few classic male names have fallen from favor in the last two decades. Four of the fastest falling names have been Sean (#83), Eric (#86), Brian (#87), and Patrick (#127). All the rage in the 1970s, these classic favorites seem to be falling slowly into obscurity.
Overall, baby name trends for boys have not changed as rapidly as they have for girls in recent years. However, there's definitely a move away from some (but not all) more classic names, and a move towards revived older names and names that sound modern.
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