Popular names of the 1980s
Across the 1980s, the most popular baby names in the US were Jessica for girls (469,510 babies) and Michael for boys (663,807). The names that most defined the decade, rising to a peak then and fading after, include Christopher, Jessica, Matthew, Joshua, Amanda.
Top 25 names of the 1980s
| # | Name | Babies in the 1980s | Alive today (est.) | Median age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jessica | 469,510 | 1,015,000 | 39 |
| 2 | Jennifer | 440,914 | 1,386,000 | 47 |
| 3 | Amanda | 369,727 | 744,000 | 40 |
| 4 | Ashley | 352,185 | 839,000 | 35 |
| 5 | Sarah | 272,637 | 883,000 | 38 |
| 6 | Stephanie | 218,173 | 695,000 | 42 |
| 7 | Melissa | 217,922 | 714,000 | 47 |
| 8 | Nicole | 210,494 | 573,000 | 40 |
| 9 | Elizabeth | 198,972 | 1,130,000 | 43 |
| 10 | Heather | 191,852 | 500,000 | 45 |
| 11 | Tiffany | 158,625 | 327,000 | 40 |
| 12 | Michelle | 154,027 | 758,000 | 51 |
| 13 | Amber | 153,951 | 362,000 | 38 |
| 14 | Megan | 153,500 | 428,000 | 35 |
| 15 | Amy | 150,662 | 637,000 | 49 |
| 16 | Rachel | 146,675 | 505,000 | 37 |
| 17 | Kimberly | 146,452 | 785,000 | 52 |
| 18 | Christina | 146,008 | 440,000 | 44 |
| 19 | Lauren | 145,161 | 461,000 | 34 |
| 20 | Crystal | 141,007 | 313,000 | 43 |
| 21 | Brittany | 137,733 | 352,000 | 35 |
| 22 | Rebecca | 136,248 | 643,000 | 48 |
| 23 | Laura | 134,608 | 602,000 | 53 |
| 24 | Danielle | 134,379 | 359,000 | 38 |
| 25 | Emily | 131,764 | 811,000 | 28 |
| # | Name | Babies in the 1980s | Alive today (est.) | Median age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael | 663,807 | 3,540,000 | 51 |
| 2 | Christopher | 554,863 | 1,884,000 | 41 |
| 3 | Matthew | 458,951 | 1,522,000 | 37 |
| 4 | Joshua | 396,524 | 1,189,000 | 34 |
| 5 | David | 383,687 | 2,659,000 | 56 |
| 6 | James | 356,491 | 2,864,000 | 58 |
| 7 | Daniel | 345,537 | 1,608,000 | 41 |
| 8 | Robert | 321,655 | 2,523,000 | 61 |
| 9 | John | 321,150 | 2,676,000 | 59 |
| 10 | Joseph | 299,411 | 1,655,000 | 44 |
| 11 | Jason | 292,120 | 971,000 | 46 |
| 12 | Justin | 289,825 | 748,000 | 36 |
| 13 | Andrew | 285,074 | 1,123,000 | 35 |
| 14 | Ryan | 278,938 | 919,000 | 34 |
| 15 | William | 248,277 | 2,137,000 | 55 |
| 16 | Brian | 233,993 | 1,021,000 | 49 |
| 17 | Brandon | 232,206 | 737,000 | 33 |
| 18 | Jonathan | 229,953 | 811,000 | 35 |
| 19 | Nicholas | 223,308 | 838,000 | 32 |
| 20 | Anthony | 211,861 | 1,194,000 | 39 |
| 21 | Eric | 204,230 | 789,000 | 45 |
| 22 | Adam | 195,086 | 533,000 | 38 |
| 23 | Kevin | 188,670 | 1,032,000 | 47 |
| 24 | Thomas | 177,817 | 1,426,000 | 58 |
| 25 | Steven | 177,454 | 1,036,000 | 56 |
Counts sum the top 100 of each year, so a name popular in only part of the decade can be undercounted. Living estimates use SSA life tables; see methods.
Names that defined the 1980s
Names whose most popular decade was the 1980s, at least four times their usual level, and that have since faded. The "peak factor" compares the decade with the name's typical level in other decades.
| Name | Used for | Babies in the 1980s | Peak factor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher | Boys | 554,863 | 30.3× |
| Jessica | Girls | 469,510 | 193.4× |
| Matthew | Boys | 458,951 | 25.1× |
| Joshua | Boys | 396,524 | 85.9× |
| Amanda | Girls | 369,727 | 34.1× |
| Ashley | Girls | 352,185 | 3503.2× |
| Justin | Boys | 289,825 | 133.9× |
| Ryan | Boys | 278,938 | 485.1× |
| Sarah | Girls | 272,637 | 4.1× |
| Jonathan | Boys | 229,953 | 23.4× |
| Stephanie | Girls | 218,173 | 32.3× |
| Nicole | Girls | 210,494 | 291.3× |
| Adam | Boys | 195,086 | 14× |
| Tiffany | Girls | 158,625 | 1618.4× |
| Amber | Girls | 153,951 | 152.5× |
| Megan | Girls | 153,500 | 702.3× |
| Rachel | Girls | 146,675 | 6.6× |
| Christina | Girls | 146,008 | 14.9× |
| Crystal | Girls | 141,007 | 61.3× |
| Aaron | Boys | 138,357 | 9.7× |