The 1972 Baby Name Report

3,142,994 babies, 14,015 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of 1972

👑 #1 girls: Jennifer (3 years running) 👑 #1 boys: Michael (12 years running) 1,078 debuts

Top girls

  1. Jennifer63,602
  2. Michelle29,287
  3. Lisa27,543
  4. Kimberly26,281
  5. Amy25,872
  6. Angela23,562
  7. Melissa22,494
  8. Stephanie16,890
  9. Heather16,320
  10. Nicole15,755

Top boys

  1. Michael71,391
  2. Christopher52,173
  3. James47,064
  4. David46,326
  5. John43,162
  6. Robert43,015
  7. Jason37,434
  8. Brian36,309
  9. William30,512
  10. Matthew22,931

Full top-50 rankings for 1972 →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Catina #4,141 → #202 (+3,939)
  2. Demond #3,195 → #391 (+2,804)
  3. Chastity #1,775 → #675 (+1,100)
  4. Katina #1,199 → #117 (+1,082)
  5. Kareem #1,264 → #405 (+859)
  6. Kami #1,043 → #551 (+492)
  7. Chiquita #1,177 → #703 (+474)
  8. Cher #1,093 → #651 (+442)
  9. Shane #1,072 → #711 (+361)
  10. Lakisha #1,011 → #662 (+349)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Kendall #742 → #1,025 (−283)
  2. Charisse #727 → #983 (−256)
  3. Lorri #703 → #927 (−224)
  4. Geraldine #478 → #679 (−201)
  5. Danna #649 → #825 (−176)
  6. Saundra #725 → #873 (−148)
  7. Trena #644 → #791 (−147)
  8. Tamela #595 → #732 (−137)
  9. Dirk #483 → #615 (−132)
  10. Anjanette #616 → #742 (−126)

✨ Never recorded before 1972

Cotina (109) Jabbar (76) Dayatra (43) Kamisha (34) Tashara (34) Cutina (32) Katena (28) Kutina (27) Ketina (26) Kamesha (24)

1,078 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in 1972.

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What were the most popular baby names in 1972?
Jennifer was the #1 girl name and Michael the #1 boy name in 1972, out of 3,142,994 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in 1972?
Catina made the biggest jump in 1972, climbing 3,939 spots to #202.
How many new baby names appeared in 1972?
1,078 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in 1972.