The 1979 Baby Name Report

3,327,000 babies, 17,350 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of 1979

👑 #1 girls: Jennifer (10 years running) 👑 #1 boys: Michael (19 years running) 1,173 debuts

Top girls

  1. Jennifer56,716
  2. Melissa34,050
  3. Amanda31,925
  4. Jessica27,782
  5. Amy21,609
  6. Sarah21,017
  7. Heather20,834
  8. Angela20,257
  9. Nicole19,509
  10. Michelle19,266

Top boys

  1. Michael67,718
  2. Christopher50,667
  3. Jason50,371
  4. David42,062
  5. James39,351
  6. Matthew35,625
  7. John35,412
  8. Robert34,018
  9. Joshua31,125
  10. Brian28,664

Full top-50 rankings for 1979 →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Breanne #2,127 → #532 (+1,595)
  2. Renata #2,038 → #727 (+1,311)
  3. Nicolette #1,590 → #686 (+904)
  4. Maren #1,429 → #733 (+696)
  5. Viviana #1,137 → #487 (+650)
  6. Brianne #763 → #168 (+595)
  7. Kylene #1,353 → #779 (+574)
  8. Siobhan #1,111 → #629 (+482)
  9. Winter #1,001 → #706 (+295)
  10. Darci #1,015 → #745 (+270)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Christel #767 → #1,155 (−388)
  2. Kenisha #557 → #870 (−313)
  3. Kristoffer #457 → #734 (−277)
  4. Farrah #539 → #792 (−253)
  5. Lisette #726 → #970 (−244)
  6. Elaina #669 → #906 (−237)
  7. Kizzy #439 → #648 (−209)
  8. Tomika #740 → #946 (−206)
  9. Paulette #742 → #938 (−196)
  10. Tawanda #666 → #858 (−192)

✨ Never recorded before 1979

Chimere (78) Brieanna (66) Aarika (41) Chisa (37) Sulay (34) Zulay (32) Santresa (28) Kitzie (27) Amii (24) Jorel (22)

1,173 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in 1979.

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What were the most popular baby names in 1979?
Jennifer was the #1 girl name and Michael the #1 boy name in 1979, out of 3,327,000 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in 1979?
Breanne made the biggest jump in 1979, climbing 1,595 spots to #532.
How many new baby names appeared in 1979?
1,173 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in 1979.