1980s
Top Names of the 1980s
The 1980s - MTV Generation
Ranked by total babies named during 1980-1989
👧
Girl Names
30 names ranked
1
Jessica
Peak: 1987
469,518
Best: #1
2
Jennifer
Peak: 1980
440,916
Best: #1
3
Amanda
Peak: 1987
369,728
Best: #2
4
Ashley
Peak: 1987
352,185
Best: #2
5
Sarah
Peak: 1982
272,647
Best: #4
6
Stephanie
Peak: 1985
218,175
Best: #6
7
Melissa
Peak: 1980
217,929
Best: #4
8
Nicole
Peak: 1985
210,498
Best: #6
9
Elizabeth
Peak: 1985
198,977
Best: #8
10
Heather
Peak: 1984
191,854
Best: #6
11
Tiffany
Peak: 1988
158,625
Best: #13
12
Michelle
Peak: 1980
154,032
Best: #10
13
Amber
Peak: 1986
153,951
Best: #13
14
Megan
Peak: 1985
153,502
Best: #10
15
Amy
Peak: 1981
150,662
Best: #6
16
Rachel
Peak: 1985
146,678
Best: #13
17
Kimberly
Peak: 1980
146,453
Best: #11
18
Christina
Peak: 1985
146,011
Best: #12
19
Lauren
Peak: 1989
145,162
Best: #9
20
Crystal
Peak: 1982
141,009
Best: #9
21
Brittany
Peak: 1989
140,855
Best: #3
22
Rebecca
Peak: 1981
136,243
Best: #12
23
Laura
Peak: 1985
134,611
Best: #14
24
Danielle
Peak: 1987
134,380
Best: #14
25
Emily
Peak: 1989
131,770
Best: #13
26
Samantha
Peak: 1989
121,126
Best: #6
27
Angela
Peak: 1980
116,594
Best: #12
28
Erin
Peak: 1983
115,811
Best: #18
29
Kelly
Peak: 1980
109,540
Best: #19
30
Sara
Peak: 1981
104,681
Best: #26
👦
Boy Names
30 names ranked
1
Michael
Peak: 1981
663,824
Best: #1
2
Christopher
Peak: 1984
554,886
Best: #2
3
Matthew
Peak: 1983
458,953
Best: #3
4
Joshua
Peak: 1989
396,530
Best: #4
5
David
Peak: 1980
383,702
Best: #4
6
James
Peak: 1980
356,498
Best: #5
7
Daniel
Peak: 1985
345,559
Best: #5
8
Robert
Peak: 1982
321,672
Best: #8
9
John
Peak: 1980
321,161
Best: #8
10
Joseph
Peak: 1982
299,416
Best: #10
11
Jason
Peak: 1980
292,130
Best: #3
12
Justin
Peak: 1988
289,826
Best: #7
13
Andrew
Peak: 1987
285,094
Best: #5
14
Ryan
Peak: 1985
278,954
Best: #11
15
William
Peak: 1980
248,286
Best: #14
16
Brian
Peak: 1980
233,997
Best: #12
17
Brandon
Peak: 1985
232,206
Best: #13
18
Jonathan
Peak: 1988
229,959
Best: #15
19
Nicholas
Peak: 1989
223,320
Best: #14
20
Anthony
Peak: 1989
211,870
Best: #16
21
Eric
Peak: 1980
204,246
Best: #16
22
Adam
Peak: 1984
195,084
Best: #18
23
Kevin
Peak: 1989
188,685
Best: #19
24
Thomas
Peak: 1988
177,817
Best: #23
25
Steven
Peak: 1989
177,470
Best: #22
26
Timothy
Peak: 1980
172,834
Best: #20
27
Richard
Peak: 1981
154,750
Best: #26
28
Jeremy
Peak: 1980
153,414
Best: #18
29
Jeffrey
Peak: 1980
144,798
Best: #27
30
Kyle
Peak: 1989
141,950
Best: #20
About 1980s Baby Name Rankings
These rankings show the most popular baby names in the United States during the 1980s (1980-1989), based on Social Security Administration data. Names are ranked by the total number of babies given each name across the entire decade.
Click on any name to see its complete history, including year-by-year popularity trends and regional data across all 50 states. You can also compare decades to see how naming trends have evolved over 147 years of American history.