The 1981 Baby Name Report

3,459,375 babies, 17,754 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of 1981

👑 #1 girls: Jennifer (12 years running) 👑 #1 boys: Michael (21 years running) 1,005 debuts

Top girls

  1. Jennifer57,048
  2. Jessica42,532
  3. Amanda34,373
  4. Sarah28,174
  5. Melissa28,005
  6. Amy20,344
  7. Nicole20,311
  8. Stephanie20,213
  9. Elizabeth20,169
  10. Heather17,946

Top boys

  1. Michael68,759
  2. Christopher50,221
  3. Matthew43,328
  4. Jason41,928
  5. David40,633
  6. Joshua39,027
  7. James38,289
  8. John34,872
  9. Robert34,397
  10. Daniel30,989

Full top-50 rankings for 1981 →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Krystle #3,266 → #474 (+2,792)
  2. Tierra #2,388 → #542 (+1,846)
  3. Martine #2,206 → #793 (+1,413)
  4. Evita #1,555 → #779 (+776)
  5. Sheena #1,014 → #356 (+658)
  6. Tiara #1,134 → #677 (+457)
  7. Blair #893 → #524 (+369)
  8. Jessi #984 → #648 (+336)
  9. Brandon #1,050 → #752 (+298)
  10. Alexandria #697 → #404 (+293)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Renada #709 → #1,318 (−609)
  2. Renata #336 → #737 (−401)
  3. Kiley #751 → #1,096 (−345)
  4. Anya #557 → #901 (−344)
  5. Regan #653 → #995 (−342)
  6. Mindi #771 → #1,013 (−242)
  7. Katina #744 → #972 (−228)
  8. Bambi #577 → #795 (−218)
  9. Chrissy #554 → #769 (−215)
  10. Syreeta #569 → #783 (−214)

✨ Never recorded before 1981

Toccara (182) Taurean (91) Nastassia (56) Falon (54) Yalitza (42) Kaleena (41) Argenis (36) Natassia (24) Yuliana (22) Shiona (19)

1,005 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in 1981.

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What were the most popular baby names in 1981?
Jennifer was the #1 girl name and Michael the #1 boy name in 1981, out of 3,459,375 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in 1981?
Krystle made the biggest jump in 1981, climbing 2,792 spots to #474.
How many new baby names appeared in 1981?
1,005 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in 1981.