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Top Baby Names of the 1970s

Across the 1970s, US parents gave these names most often. The lists below rank the top 25 girls’ and boys’ names by the number of babies who received each name over the decade, from US Social Security Administration data (about 15.5 million girls and 16.5 million boys recorded).

The most popular names of the 1970s were Jennifer for girls and Michael for boys.

Top 25 girls’ names of the 1970s

  1. #1 Jennifer 581,729
  2. #2 Amy 268,994
  3. #3 Melissa 253,267
  4. #4 Michelle 249,130
  5. #5 Kimberly 229,097
  6. #6 Lisa 228,690
  7. #7 Angela 225,262
  8. #8 Heather 203,902
  9. #9 Stephanie 160,468
  10. #10 Nicole 144,667
  11. #11 Jessica 143,492
  12. #12 Elizabeth 142,845
  13. #13 Rebecca 137,285
  14. #14 Kelly 133,545
  15. #15 Mary 126,254
  16. #16 Christina 125,747
  17. #17 Amanda 123,920
  18. #18 Julie 121,919
  19. #19 Sarah 118,823
  20. #20 Laura 118,204
  21. #21 Shannon 113,793
  22. #22 Christine 103,236
  23. #23 Tammy 98,830
  24. #24 Tracy 95,536
  25. #25 Karen 95,173

Top 25 boys’ names of the 1970s

  1. #1 Michael 707,327
  2. #2 Christopher 475,423
  3. #3 Jason 462,709
  4. #4 David 445,704
  5. #5 James 444,713
  6. #6 John 402,612
  7. #7 Robert 397,225
  8. #8 Brian 322,660
  9. #9 William 283,401
  10. #10 Matthew 277,727
  11. #11 Joseph 244,825
  12. #12 Daniel 244,454
  13. #13 Kevin 212,231
  14. #14 Eric 211,481
  15. #15 Jeffrey 202,850
  16. #16 Richard 202,804
  17. #17 Scott 194,520
  18. #18 Mark 194,260
  19. #19 Steven 188,078
  20. #20 Thomas 186,739
  21. #21 Timothy 181,260
  22. #22 Anthony 174,873
  23. #23 Charles 163,021
  24. #24 Joshua 140,318
  25. #25 Ryan 139,635

Counts are US births recorded by the Social Security Administration. Numbers show babies given each name across the whole decade.

Frequently asked questions

What was the most popular girls’ name in the 1970s?

Jennifer was the most popular girls’ name in the 1970s, according to US Social Security Administration data.

What was the most popular boys’ name in the 1970s?

Michael was the most popular boys’ name in the 1970s.

Where does this ranking come from?

These rankings are compiled from US Social Security Administration records of names given to babies born in the United States, counted separately for girls and boys.

See this year’s most popular names →