The 1971 Baby Name Report

3,432,355 babies, 13,845 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of 1971

👑 #1 girls: Jennifer (2 years running) 👑 #1 boys: Michael (11 years running) 1,032 debuts

Top girls

  1. Jennifer56,771
  2. Michelle33,159
  3. Lisa32,910
  4. Kimberly30,706
  5. Amy26,237
  6. Angela25,900
  7. Melissa23,876
  8. Tammy17,656
  9. Mary16,702
  10. Julie15,324

Top boys

  1. Michael77,585
  2. James54,603
  3. David53,118
  4. John51,508
  5. Robert50,635
  6. Christopher48,224
  7. William35,416
  8. Jason34,179
  9. Brian32,625
  10. Scott30,902

Full top-50 rankings for 1971 →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Yesenia #2,575 → #409 (+2,166)
  2. Candida #1,196 → #686 (+510)
  3. Tanisha #978 → #506 (+472)
  4. Jermaine #622 → #233 (+389)
  5. Kendall #1,079 → #742 (+337)
  6. Tarsha #1,042 → #717 (+325)
  7. Tameka #1,024 → #726 (+298)
  8. Latasha #722 → #444 (+278)
  9. Tosha #970 → #706 (+264)
  10. Consuelo #868 → #605 (+263)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Janene #684 → #1,067 (−383)
  2. Shiela #714 → #934 (−220)
  3. Robb #513 → #678 (−165)
  4. Penelope #571 → #734 (−163)
  5. Pamala #739 → #888 (−149)
  6. Joelle #585 → #723 (−138)
  7. Boyd #490 → #615 (−125)
  8. Marni #705 → #828 (−123)
  9. Maxine #632 → #749 (−117)
  10. Vince #514 → #631 (−117)

✨ Never recorded before 1971

Ayanna (194) Diallo (54) Jesenia (43) Khari (32) Bree (30) Jurea (29) Kobie (26) Nkenge (25) Tango (24) Tonika (22)

1,032 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in 1971.

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What were the most popular baby names in 1971?
Jennifer was the #1 girl name and Michael the #1 boy name in 1971, out of 3,432,355 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in 1971?
Yesenia made the biggest jump in 1971, climbing 2,166 spots to #409.
How many new baby names appeared in 1971?
1,032 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in 1971.