The 1966 Baby Name Report

3,475,655 babies, 11,036 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of 1966

👑 #1 girls: Lisa (5 years running) 👑 #1 boys: Michael (6 years running) 455 debuts

Top girls

  1. Lisa56,918
  2. Kimberly32,231
  3. Mary28,889
  4. Michelle27,159
  5. Karen25,449
  6. Susan23,775
  7. Patricia20,111
  8. Tammy18,620
  9. Angela18,535
  10. Jennifer18,215

Top boys

  1. Michael79,984
  2. David66,417
  3. James65,163
  4. John65,015
  5. Robert59,309
  6. William38,240
  7. Mark34,802
  8. Richard34,458
  9. Jeffrey30,199
  10. Thomas29,005

Full top-50 rankings for 1966 →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Tabatha #7,403 → #418 (+6,985)
  2. Tabitha #2,027 → #524 (+1,503)
  3. Jarrod #1,749 → #513 (+1,236)
  4. Tatia #1,740 → #669 (+1,071)
  5. Heath #1,260 → #361 (+899)
  6. Audra #1,109 → #283 (+826)
  7. Tasha #1,460 → #661 (+799)
  8. Lara #1,376 → #619 (+757)
  9. Joelle #1,100 → #469 (+631)
  10. Sonji #1,073 → #639 (+434)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Kecia #392 → #672 (−280)
  2. Zina #498 → #768 (−270)
  3. Deneen #465 → #641 (−176)
  4. Allyson #445 → #617 (−172)
  5. Kathi #608 → #761 (−153)
  6. Lyndon #444 → #592 (−148)
  7. Pennie #684 → #828 (−144)
  8. Debby #591 → #728 (−137)
  9. Kathie #685 → #822 (−137)
  10. Maribeth #689 → #811 (−122)

✨ Never recorded before 1966

Indira (43) Tamitha (27) Anissa (23) Lainie (21) Yesenia (17) Jarred (17) Romunda (16) Tamantha (16) Heith (16) Agena (15)

455 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in 1966.

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What were the most popular baby names in 1966?
Lisa was the #1 girl name and Michael the #1 boy name in 1966, out of 3,475,655 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in 1966?
Tabatha made the biggest jump in 1966, climbing 6,985 spots to #418.
How many new baby names appeared in 1966?
455 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in 1966.