The 1980s Baby Name Report

35,635,229 babies, 34,882 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of the 1980s

1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
👑 #1 girls: Jessica 👑 #1 boys: Michael 10,624 debuts

Top girls

  1. Jessica469,518
  2. Jennifer440,916
  3. Amanda369,728
  4. Ashley352,185
  5. Sarah272,647
  6. Stephanie218,175
  7. Melissa217,929
  8. Nicole210,498
  9. Elizabeth198,977
  10. Heather191,854

Top boys

  1. Michael663,824
  2. Christopher554,886
  3. Matthew458,953
  4. Joshua396,530
  5. David383,702
  6. James356,498
  7. Daniel345,559
  8. Robert321,672
  9. John321,161
  10. Joseph299,416

Full top-50 rankings for the 1980s →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Ciera #19,800 → #740 (+19,060)
  2. Katelynn #19,088 → #970 (+18,118)
  3. Katlyn #15,973 → #863 (+15,110)
  4. Kailey #15,139 → #1,328 (+13,811)
  5. Phylicia #14,351 → #1,192 (+13,159)
  6. Ashton #13,429 → #555 (+12,874)
  7. Madison #12,554 → #535 (+12,019)
  8. Ayla #13,245 → #1,285 (+11,960)
  9. Brittaney #12,976 → #1,109 (+11,867)
  10. Cierra #12,376 → #542 (+11,834)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Pam #1,102 → #5,140 (−4,038)
  2. Anjanette #926 → #4,250 (−3,324)
  3. Telly #816 → #3,872 (−3,056)
  4. Nakia #709 → #3,741 (−3,032)
  5. Tamatha #995 → #3,731 (−2,736)
  6. Buffy #692 → #3,309 (−2,617)
  7. Lorri #1,091 → #3,692 (−2,601)
  8. Catina #517 → #3,038 (−2,521)
  9. Vonda #1,074 → #3,567 (−2,493)
  10. Tamiko #772 → #3,078 (−2,306)

✨ Never recorded before the 1980s

Sade (3472) Kayleigh (2677) Jaleesa (1413) Kaleigh (1397) Jalisa (1220) Taurean (1184) Christop (1082) Kaleena (1053) Falon (937) Katlin (911)

10,624 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in the 1980s.

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What were the most popular baby names in the 1980s?
Jessica was the #1 girl name and Michael the #1 boy name in the 1980s, out of 35,635,229 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in the 1980s?
Ciera made the biggest jump in the 1980s, climbing 19,060 spots to #740.
How many new baby names appeared in the 1980s?
10,624 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in the 1980s.