The 1976 Baby Name Report

3,034,300 babies, 15,856 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of 1976

👑 #1 girls: Jennifer (7 years running) 👑 #1 boys: Michael (16 years running) 1,247 debuts

Top girls

  1. Jennifer59,472
  2. Amy31,339
  3. Melissa25,094
  4. Heather24,192
  5. Angela22,039
  6. Michelle19,551
  7. Kimberly18,962
  8. Jessica18,369
  9. Lisa17,348
  10. Amanda15,589

Top boys

  1. Michael66,917
  2. Jason52,650
  3. Christopher45,194
  4. David39,273
  5. James38,298
  6. John33,979
  7. Robert33,791
  8. Brian30,524
  9. Matthew29,952
  10. Daniel24,704

Full top-50 rankings for 1976 →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Rhiannon #4,305 → #593 (+3,712)
  2. Khalilah #3,846 → #716 (+3,130)
  3. Jaclyn #1,816 → #539 (+1,277)
  4. Farrah #1,329 → #276 (+1,053)
  5. Nadia #1,306 → #360 (+946)
  6. Tennille #1,137 → #300 (+837)
  7. Jaimie #1,165 → #431 (+734)
  8. Liberty #1,197 → #543 (+654)
  9. Jillian #1,259 → #615 (+644)
  10. Janae #1,285 → #733 (+552)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Nakia #337 → #793 (−456)
  2. Kira #613 → #905 (−292)
  3. Emilie #714 → #982 (−268)
  4. Tamiko #416 → #625 (−209)
  5. Lissette #691 → #883 (−192)
  6. Suzette #670 → #843 (−173)
  7. Nikia #593 → #764 (−171)
  8. Juliet #687 → #858 (−171)
  9. Lacy #709 → #877 (−168)
  10. Darcie #734 → #900 (−166)

✨ Never recorded before 1976

Tynisa (79) Rhianna (56) Naimah (42) Sujey (35) Rhiana (32) Tennile (32) Aesha (28) Delvecchio (27) Huong (26) Rheanna (24)

1,247 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in 1976.

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What were the most popular baby names in 1976?
Jennifer was the #1 girl name and Michael the #1 boy name in 1976, out of 3,034,300 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in 1976?
Rhiannon made the biggest jump in 1976, climbing 3,712 spots to #593.
How many new baby names appeared in 1976?
1,247 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in 1976.