The 1973 Baby Name Report

3,016,887 babies, 14,276 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of 1973

👑 #1 girls: Jennifer (4 years running) 👑 #1 boys: Michael (13 years running) 1,101 debuts

Top girls

  1. Jennifer62,447
  2. Amy26,964
  3. Michelle26,936
  4. Kimberly23,531
  5. Lisa22,673
  6. Melissa22,480
  7. Angela20,898
  8. Heather19,346
  9. Stephanie17,264
  10. Rebecca14,869

Top boys

  1. Michael67,808
  2. Christopher48,309
  3. Jason46,678
  4. James42,838
  5. David41,085
  6. John39,169
  7. Robert38,698
  8. Brian35,688
  9. William28,015
  10. Matthew24,535

Full top-50 rankings for 1973 →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Cicely #4,839 → #702 (+4,137)
  2. Alethea #1,457 → #522 (+935)
  3. Carly #1,354 → #630 (+724)
  4. Tracee #978 → #536 (+442)
  5. Aisha #1,073 → #669 (+404)
  6. Chastity #675 → #380 (+295)
  7. Chasity #753 → #466 (+287)
  8. Sasha #867 → #583 (+284)
  9. Lakeisha #836 → #555 (+281)
  10. Jena #916 → #688 (+228)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Contina #696 → #962 (−266)
  2. Ayanna #506 → #761 (−255)
  3. Anissa #421 → #670 (−249)
  4. Claudine #613 → #830 (−217)
  5. Kirby #481 → #646 (−165)
  6. Rob #566 → #716 (−150)
  7. Bonita #667 → #815 (−148)
  8. Nanette #524 → #667 (−143)
  9. Gwen #554 → #697 (−143)
  10. Nikole #689 → #818 (−129)

✨ Never recorded before 1973

Yajaira (55) Loukisha (48) Yohance (44) Janaya (41) Kanika (37) Jelani (36) Yahaira (29) Season (28) Sacheen (27) Analia (24)

1,101 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in 1973.

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What were the most popular baby names in 1973?
Jennifer was the #1 girl name and Michael the #1 boy name in 1973, out of 3,016,887 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in 1973?
Cicely made the biggest jump in 1973, climbing 4,137 spots to #702.
How many new baby names appeared in 1973?
1,101 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in 1973.