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Top Baby Names of the 1980s

Across the 1980s, 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 17.2 million girls and 18.5 million boys recorded).

The most popular names of the 1980s were Jessica for girls and Michael for boys.

Top 25 girls’ names of the 1980s

  1. #1 Jessica 469,510
  2. #2 Jennifer 440,914
  3. #3 Amanda 369,727
  4. #4 Ashley 352,185
  5. #5 Sarah 272,637
  6. #6 Stephanie 218,173
  7. #7 Melissa 217,922
  8. #8 Nicole 210,494
  9. #9 Elizabeth 198,972
  10. #10 Heather 191,852
  11. #11 Tiffany 158,625
  12. #12 Michelle 154,027
  13. #13 Amber 153,951
  14. #14 Megan 153,500
  15. #15 Amy 150,662
  16. #16 Rachel 146,675
  17. #17 Kimberly 146,452
  18. #18 Christina 146,008
  19. #19 Lauren 145,161
  20. #20 Crystal 141,007
  21. #21 Brittany 140,854
  22. #22 Rebecca 136,248
  23. #23 Laura 134,608
  24. #24 Danielle 134,379
  25. #25 Emily 131,764

Top 25 boys’ names of the 1980s

  1. #1 Michael 663,807
  2. #2 Christopher 554,863
  3. #3 Matthew 458,951
  4. #4 Joshua 396,524
  5. #5 David 383,687
  6. #6 James 356,491
  7. #7 Daniel 345,537
  8. #8 Robert 321,655
  9. #9 John 321,150
  10. #10 Joseph 299,411
  11. #11 Jason 292,120
  12. #12 Justin 289,825
  13. #13 Andrew 285,074
  14. #14 Ryan 278,938
  15. #15 William 248,277
  16. #16 Brian 233,993
  17. #17 Brandon 232,206
  18. #18 Jonathan 229,953
  19. #19 Nicholas 223,308
  20. #20 Anthony 211,861
  21. #21 Eric 204,230
  22. #22 Adam 195,086
  23. #23 Kevin 188,670
  24. #24 Thomas 177,817
  25. #25 Steven 177,454

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 1980s?

Jessica was the most popular girls’ name in the 1980s, according to US Social Security Administration data.

What was the most popular boys’ name in the 1980s?

Michael was the most popular boys’ name in the 1980s.

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 →