The 1970s Baby Name Report

31,969,807 babies, 28,721 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of the 1970s

1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
👑 #1 girls: Jennifer 👑 #1 boys: Michael 11,280 debuts

Top girls

  1. Jennifer581,733
  2. Amy268,995
  3. Melissa253,268
  4. Michelle249,136
  5. Kimberly229,098
  6. Lisa228,687
  7. Angela225,266
  8. Heather203,906
  9. Stephanie160,466
  10. Nicole144,670

Top boys

  1. Michael707,368
  2. Christopher475,446
  3. Jason462,749
  4. David445,741
  5. James444,749
  6. John402,636
  7. Robert397,249
  8. Brian322,694
  9. William283,415
  10. Matthew277,752

Full top-50 rankings for the 1970s →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Farrah #11,996 → #572 (+11,424)
  2. Chastity #11,382 → #460 (+10,922)
  3. Carly #11,393 → #574 (+10,819)
  4. Tanesha #11,529 → #1,068 (+10,461)
  5. Sommer #9,831 → #910 (+8,921)
  6. Rashida #9,858 → #1,016 (+8,842)
  7. Sunshine #8,334 → #770 (+7,564)
  8. Lakeshia #8,382 → #829 (+7,553)
  9. Lakeisha #7,814 → #445 (+7,369)
  10. Jermaine #7,453 → #183 (+7,270)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Barb #697 → #8,568 (−7,871)
  2. Gaye #865 → #4,375 (−3,510)
  3. Glynis #1,006 → #4,166 (−3,160)
  4. Pat #579 → #3,015 (−2,436)
  5. Geralyn #823 → #3,161 (−2,338)
  6. Debi #845 → #2,829 (−1,984)
  7. Fran #929 → #2,913 (−1,984)
  8. Debbi #970 → #2,791 (−1,821)
  9. Earnestine #1,076 → #2,865 (−1,789)
  10. Babette #982 → #2,765 (−1,783)

✨ Never recorded before the 1970s

Chasity (5317) Nakia (3551) Kizzy (1842) Rhiannon (1666) Shameka (1626) Tennille (1551) Ayanna (1547) Bree (1510) Rashad (1319) Nikia (1288)

11,280 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in the 1970s.

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What were the most popular baby names in the 1970s?
Jennifer was the #1 girl name and Michael the #1 boy name in the 1970s, out of 31,969,807 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in the 1970s?
Farrah made the biggest jump in the 1970s, climbing 11,424 spots to #572.
How many new baby names appeared in the 1970s?
11,280 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in the 1970s.