Popular baby names of 1971

In 1971, the most popular baby names in the United States were Jennifer for girls (56,771 babies) and Michael for boys (77,577). Social Security records show 3,432,270 babies with a name given to at least five children of the same sex that year, sharing 9,645 girls' names and 5,655 boys' names.

1971 at a glance

The top 10 girls' names went to 16.8% of girls recorded.
The top 10 boys' names went to 26.5% of boys recorded.
New in the girls' top 100: Crystal, Amanda, Christy, Erin, Yolanda, Danielle.
New in the boys' top 100: Ryan, Joshua, Brandon, Jamie, Erik.

Top 100 girls' and boys' names, 1971

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1970
1	Jennifer	56,771	–
2	Michelle	33,160	↑2
3	Lisa	32,907	↓1
4	Kimberly	30,708	↓1
5	Amy	26,237	–
6	Angela	25,901	–
7	Melissa	23,875	–
8	Tammy	17,656	–
9	Mary	16,703	–
10	Julie	15,322	↑1
11	Stephanie	15,135	↑6
12	Heather	15,017	↑7
13	Tracy	14,330	↓3
14	Dawn	14,288	↑2
15	Karen	14,214	↓3
16	Laura	13,875	↓3
17	Susan	13,782	↓2
18	Christine	13,678	↓4
19	Elizabeth	13,606	↓1
20	Tina	13,266	↑1
21	Shannon	12,647	↑1
22	Kelly	12,599	↓2
23	Rebecca	12,192	↑6
24	Cynthia	12,143	↑1
25	Lori	11,829	↓2
26	Patricia	11,470	↓2
27	Nicole	10,423	↑3
28	Pamela	10,149	↓2
29	Wendy	10,063	↓1
30	Christina	9,915	↑5
31	Sandra	9,714	↓4
32	Stacy	9,117	↑10
33	Deborah	8,675	–
34	Teresa	8,563	–
35	Andrea	8,483	↑8
36	Denise	8,219	–
37	Maria	8,141	↑2
38	Donna	8,013	↓6
39	Michele	7,955	↓8
40	Sharon	7,523	↓3
41	Stacey	7,482	↑7
42	Linda	7,376	↓4
43	Brenda	7,160	↓3
44	Dana	6,934	↑10
45	Tonya	6,897	↑4
46	Rhonda	6,649	–
47	Barbara	6,453	↓6
48	Monica	6,426	↑8
49	Tara	6,336	↑20
50	Cheryl	6,327	↓6
51	Robin	6,213	–
52	Nancy	6,212	↓2
53	Kathleen	6,154	↓8
54	Rachel	6,115	↑4
55	Carrie	5,977	↑18
56	April	5,939	↑26
57	Debra	5,928	↓10
58	Sarah	5,843	↑7
59	Jill	5,724	↓7
60	Sherry	5,562	–
61	Theresa	5,446	↓8
62	Tiffany	5,414	↑37
63	Paula	5,379	↓6
64	Jessica	5,359	↑34
65	Catherine	5,337	↓6
66	Melanie	5,135	↑25
67	Katherine	5,120	–
68	Leslie	5,111	↓4
69	Gina	4,922	↓8
70	Cindy	4,904	↑2
71	Kristin	4,861	↓8
72	Tanya	4,855	↑4
73	Renee	4,830	↓5
74	Tracey	4,789	↓19
75	Jacqueline	4,784	↓9
76	Holly	4,747	↓2
77	Heidi	4,714	↑4
78	Ann	4,558	↓16
79	Crystal	4,530	new
80	Tamara	4,486	↓1
81	Sheila	4,333	↓6
82	Diana	4,211	↑7
83	Diane	4,208	↓13
84	Amanda	4,130	new
85	Melinda	4,057	↑8
86	Margaret	4,001	↓6
87	Kristen	3,967	↓4
88	Suzanne	3,932	↓1
89	Christy	3,930	new
90	Regina	3,874	↓4
91	Kathy	3,863	↓14
92	Carol	3,857	↓21
93	Erin	3,856	new
94	Jodi	3,826	↑1
95	Deanna	3,791	↓5
96	Laurie	3,749	↓8
97	Victoria	3,722	↓12
98	Yolanda	3,721	new
99	Danielle	3,716	new
100	Beth	3,686	↓8

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1970
1	Michael	77,577	–
2	James	54,597	–
3	David	53,113	–
4	John	51,512	–
5	Robert	50,634	–
6	Christopher	48,225	–
7	William	35,413	–
8	Jason	34,173	↑5
9	Brian	32,624	↓1
10	Scott	30,901	↑2
11	Richard	26,154	↓1
12	Jeffrey	25,834	↓1
13	Mark	25,132	↓4
14	Kevin	24,850	–
15	Joseph	24,517	↑1
16	Steven	23,686	↓1
17	Thomas	23,149	–
18	Eric	22,962	–
19	Matthew	22,543	↑5
20	Daniel	21,785	↓1
21	Timothy	20,089	↓1
22	Charles	19,851	↓1
23	Anthony	19,223	↓1
24	Paul	17,469	↓1
25	Kenneth	14,763	–
26	Gregory	14,760	–
27	Stephen	13,102	–
28	Shawn	12,825	↑6
29	Chad	12,137	↑22
30	Todd	12,055	↓2
31	Ronald	11,617	↓2
32	Edward	11,062	↓1
33	Andrew	10,911	↓1
34	Donald	10,872	↓4
35	Patrick	10,808	↓2
36	Sean	10,510	↑1
37	Keith	9,851	↑1
38	Gary	9,190	↓3
39	Douglas	8,737	↓3
40	Jonathan	8,628	↑2
41	Aaron	8,403	↑11
42	George	8,226	↓2
43	Craig	7,957	↓4
44	Larry	7,763	↓1
45	Jeremy	7,498	↑25
46	Troy	7,340	↓5
47	Peter	7,025	↓3
48	Bryan	6,611	↑5
49	Dennis	6,584	↓3
50	Jerry	6,572	↓5
51	Ryan	6,184	new
52	Raymond	6,104	↓3
53	Jeffery	6,100	↓3
54	Frank	6,089	↓6
55	Jose	6,004	↑1
56	Terry	5,858	↓2
57	Adam	5,846	↑15
58	Bradley	5,780	↓11
59	Rodney	5,195	↓4
60	Shane	5,093	↑4
61	Travis	5,016	↑8
62	Tony	4,889	↓5
63	Derek	4,667	↑14
64	Russell	4,545	↓6
65	Marcus	4,410	↑6
66	Samuel	4,407	↓4
67	Randy	4,345	↓8
68	Chris	4,293	↓5
69	Benjamin	4,251	↑12
70	Marc	4,212	↓10
71	Roger	4,129	↓10
72	Carl	4,055	↓6
73	Brent	4,053	↑1
74	Johnny	3,939	↓9
75	Billy	3,907	↑3
76	Phillip	3,850	↓3
77	Corey	3,766	↑7
78	Jon	3,717	↓10
79	Bobby	3,652	↑8
80	Joshua	3,650	new
81	Juan	3,648	↑14
82	Danny	3,611	↑3
83	Gerald	3,588	↓16
84	Derrick	3,582	↑12
85	Lawrence	3,523	↓2
86	Joel	3,499	↓4
87	Vincent	3,435	↓8
88	Carlos	3,426	↑10
89	Curtis	3,426	↓1
90	Brett	3,357	↑9
91	Walter	3,356	↓2
92	Wayne	3,331	↓12
93	Jimmy	3,315	↓7
94	Philip	3,302	↓2
95	Brandon	3,263	new
96	Jamie	3,231	new
97	Erik	3,212	new
98	Lance	3,175	↓22
99	Alan	3,168	↓8
100	Darren	3,156	↓25

Every name given in 1971

All 15,300 names Social Security recorded for 1971, with their rank and count. Type to filter.

← 1970 All years and states 1972 →