The 1982 Baby Name Report

3,507,962 babies, 17,923 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of 1982

👑 #1 girls: Jennifer (13 years running) 👑 #1 boys: Michael (22 years running) 974 debuts

Top girls

  1. Jennifer57,118
  2. Jessica45,449
  3. Amanda34,214
  4. Sarah28,488
  5. Melissa25,866
  6. Nicole21,706
  7. Stephanie20,861
  8. Elizabeth20,507
  9. Crystal19,098
  10. Amy18,800

Top boys

  1. Michael68,228
  2. Christopher59,229
  3. Matthew46,050
  4. Jason40,634
  5. David40,456
  6. James38,875
  7. Joshua38,003
  8. John34,707
  9. Robert34,414
  10. Daniel32,654

Full top-50 rankings for 1982 →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Colt #2,428 → #460 (+1,968)
  2. Kaleena #2,388 → #661 (+1,727)
  3. Kala #1,970 → #763 (+1,207)
  4. Chelsey #1,531 → #569 (+962)
  5. Kayla #583 → #133 (+450)
  6. Rosanna #821 → #439 (+382)
  7. Brynn #992 → #611 (+381)
  8. Chase #611 → #245 (+366)
  9. Taurean #945 → #593 (+352)
  10. Fallon #715 → #376 (+339)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Evita #779 → #1,320 (−541)
  2. Martine #793 → #1,315 (−522)
  3. Dusty #720 → #1,194 (−474)
  4. Chrissy #769 → #1,088 (−319)
  5. Renata #737 → #1,014 (−277)
  6. Griselda #653 → #837 (−184)
  7. Kisha #585 → #764 (−179)
  8. Jena #702 → #866 (−164)
  9. Fawn #788 → #952 (−164)
  10. Starla #759 → #922 (−163)

✨ Never recorded before 1982

Tyechia (71) Eder (48) Luisana (37) Gemayel (22) Bilan (17) Kolt (16) Veasna (16) Travanti (15) Tocara (14) Arriel (13)

974 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in 1982.

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What were the most popular baby names in 1982?
Jennifer was the #1 girl name and Michael the #1 boy name in 1982, out of 3,507,962 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in 1982?
Colt made the biggest jump in 1982, climbing 1,968 spots to #460.
How many new baby names appeared in 1982?
974 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in 1982.