US first names, 1940–2025
Random male name generator
First names on this page come from Social Security Administration records of U.S. births from 1940 to 2025. That period holds 157,922,523 boys across 43,271 distinct names. The three most common names were for boys: Michael, James, John. Names are picked in proportion to how often they were given, and last names come from the 2000 U.S. Census, so the mix looks like real American full names.
More options — middle names, no repeats, realism, seed
1 gives real frequencies. 0 makes every name equally likely.
What the data says
- About 1 in 5 boys born from 1940 to 2025 got one of just 10 names. Those 10 names hold 18.2% of all recorded boys.
- Names for boys behave like 640 equally common names out of 43,271 in use (effective number of names).
- The average boy's name has 5.8 letters.
- Fastest riser for boys: Kylo, from 50 births in 2006 to 2015 to 5,284 in 2016 to 2025.
- Biggest fall for boys: Ladainian, from 320 births in 2006 to 2015 to 10 in 2016 to 2025.
Boys: Top 20 names
| # | Name | Births | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael | 4,289,297 | 2.72% |
| 2 | James | 3,745,840 | 2.37% |
| 3 | John | 3,499,117 | 2.22% |
| 4 | Robert | 3,357,291 | 2.13% |
| 5 | David | 3,355,843 | 2.12% |
| 6 | William | 2,741,102 | 1.74% |
| 7 | Christopher | 2,060,139 | 1.30% |
| 8 | Joseph | 1,975,350 | 1.25% |
| 9 | Richard | 1,924,591 | 1.22% |
| 10 | Thomas | 1,855,324 | 1.17% |
| 11 | Daniel | 1,851,529 | 1.17% |
| 12 | Matthew | 1,629,638 | 1.03% |
| 13 | Charles | 1,540,187 | 0.98% |
| 14 | Anthony | 1,350,708 | 0.86% |
| 15 | Mark | 1,341,251 | 0.85% |
| 16 | Steven | 1,281,419 | 0.81% |
| 17 | Joshua | 1,244,917 | 0.79% |
| 18 | Andrew | 1,222,276 | 0.77% |
| 19 | Kevin | 1,182,168 | 0.75% |
| 20 | Brian | 1,169,875 | 0.74% |
Boys: 2006 to 2015 → 2016 to 2025
Rising fastest
- Kylo 50 → 5,284
- Ermias 35 → 2,178
- Kylian 77 → 3,655
- Khaza 41 → 1,764
- Chosen 61 → 2,181
Falling fastest
- Ladainian 320 → 10
- Dereon 1,075 → 73
- Reily 305 → 28
- Kale 3,543 → 353
- Domanick 305 → 31
Questions and answers
What was the most common boy's name from 1940 to 2025?
Michael. 4,289,297 boys received it, 2.72% of all recorded boys born from 1940 to 2025.
How concentrated are boy's names from 1940 to 2025?
The 10 most common names cover 18.2% of recorded boys, about 1 in 5 births.
Which names grew fastest compared with 2006 to 2015?
Among names with at least 300 births in 2016 to 2025, the biggest gains were for boys, Kylo (50 births in 2006 to 2015, 5,284 in 2016 to 2025).
How long is the average first name from 1940 to 2025?
Weighted by how often each name was given: 5.8 letters for boys.