The 1985 Baby Name Report

3,569,110 babies, 18,257 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of 1985

👑 #1 girls: Jessica 👑 #1 boys: Michael (25 years running) 982 debuts

Top girls

  1. Jessica48,348
  2. Ashley47,008
  3. Jennifer42,660
  4. Amanda39,056
  5. Sarah24,878
  6. Stephanie23,244
  7. Nicole22,967
  8. Heather21,152
  9. Elizabeth20,545
  10. Megan20,012

Top boys

  1. Michael64,936
  2. Christopher59,616
  3. Matthew47,079
  4. Joshua42,198
  5. Daniel38,564
  6. David38,527
  7. James35,864
  8. Robert32,095
  9. John31,499
  10. Joseph30,219

Full top-50 rankings for 1985 →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Kayleigh #8,598 → #794 (+7,804)
  2. Madison #2,326 → #625 (+1,701)
  3. Cierra #1,640 → #466 (+1,174)
  4. Ciera #1,705 → #702 (+1,003)
  5. Durell #1,406 → #606 (+800)
  6. Krystina #1,338 → #545 (+793)
  7. Keshia #1,299 → #596 (+703)
  8. Micaela #1,140 → #546 (+594)
  9. Dominque #1,147 → #604 (+543)
  10. Domonique #1,084 → #558 (+526)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Grisel #785 → #1,954 (−1,169)
  2. Shanell #787 → #1,076 (−289)
  3. Kirby #526 → #760 (−234)
  4. Marquita #195 → #417 (−222)
  5. Candi #690 → #898 (−208)
  6. Karin #643 → #830 (−187)
  7. Brynn #766 → #933 (−167)
  8. Sherrie #654 → #814 (−160)
  9. Jo #769 → #926 (−157)
  10. Akeem #542 → #698 (−156)

✨ Never recorded before 1985

Sade (393) Shardae (129) Sharde (124) Sharday (100) Charde (67) Chardae (50) Tempestt (36) Ikea (35) Shardai (33) Lakin (29)

982 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in 1985.

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What were the most popular baby names in 1985?
Jessica was the #1 girl name and Michael the #1 boy name in 1985, out of 3,569,110 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in 1985?
Kayleigh made the biggest jump in 1985, climbing 7,804 spots to #794.
How many new baby names appeared in 1985?
982 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in 1985.