Popular baby names in Kentucky, 1978

The most popular baby names in Kentucky in 1978 were Jennifer for girls (1,019 babies) and Michael for boys (1,185). Social Security records list 51,195 babies born in Kentucky in 1978 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Kentucky in 1978

Names given at least 15 times in Kentucky that year and at least twice as common as in the US as a whole.

Girls

Brittany: 43 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Chasity: 45 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Whitney: 45 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Billie: 41 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Betty: 37 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Lora: 31 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Chastity: 19 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Tonya: 187 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Misty: 275 babies, 3× the national rate
Kristie: 76 babies, 3× the national rate

Boys

Scottie: 29 babies, 7.7× the national rate
Donnie: 43 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Scotty: 27 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Robbie: 24 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Garry: 20 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Billy: 158 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Jackie: 25 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Kenny: 24 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Cecil: 19 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Ronnie: 75 babies, 3.1× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Kentucky, 1978

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1977	US rank
1	Jennifer	1,019	–	1
2	Melissa	622	↑1	2
3	Amanda	590	↑2	6
4	Amy	567	↓2	4
5	Angela	565	↓1	7
6	Crystal	517	–	18
7	Jessica	465	↑2	3
8	Heather	423	↓1	5
9	Stephanie	398	↑1	16
10	Kimberly	373	↓2	13
11	Rebecca	354	–	17
12	Christina	325	↑5	15
13	Elizabeth	321	↑5	14
14	Sarah	319	↑1	8
15	Kelly	312	↓3	12
16	Mary	303	↓3	24
17	Lisa	279	↑3	11
18	Misty	275	↑3	43
19	April	264	↑3	27
20	Shannon	251	↓6	22
21	Jamie	248	↓5	20
22	Michelle	242	↓3	9
23	Laura	203	–	19
24	Christy	197	–	59
25	Tonya	187	–	77
26	Carrie	178	–	35
27	Andrea	168	↑2	23
28	Brandy	165	↑4	37
29	Erin	160	↑2	21
30	Julie	160	↓2	26
31	Tiffany	156	↑10	32
32	Emily	150	↑3	33
33	Tina	150	↓3	45
34	Sara	146	↑10	28
35	Stacy	146	↑1	44
36	Rachel	144	↑2	25
37	Kristy	140	new	51
38	Leslie	135	↑4	63
39	Susan	132	↓2	49
40	Tracy	131	↓6	47
41	Nicole	130	new	10
42	Tammy	130	↓15	67
43	Tara	128	↓4	40
44	Erica	121	new	34
45	Ashley	114	new	87
46	Amber	112	new	30
47	Melinda	110	new	84
48	Wendy	110	new	56
49	Karen	108	↓16	39
50	Holly	107	↓7	55

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1977	US rank
1	Michael	1,185	↑1	1
2	James	1,183	↑1	5
3	Jason	1,163	↓2	2
4	Christopher	1,126	–	3
5	David	725	↑1	4
6	Robert	692	↑1	8
7	John	681	↑1	7
8	William	671	↓3	13
9	Jeremy	584	↑1	18
10	Brian	549	↓1	9
11	Joshua	537	↑4	12
12	Matthew	517	–	6
13	Joseph	511	↓2	10
14	Charles	443	↓1	27
15	Timothy	436	↑1	17
16	Kevin	374	↓2	15
17	Eric	353	↑1	16
18	Daniel	342	↑1	11
19	Jonathan	308	↑2	31
20	Steven	308	↓3	24
21	Anthony	301	↓1	20
22	Thomas	290	↑2	23
23	Mark	257	↑2	26
24	Richard	251	↓2	21
25	Nicholas	250	new	25
26	Adam	248	↑10	29
27	Jeffrey	247	↓4	19
28	Shawn	231	↑3	39
29	Aaron	220	↑9	32
30	Kenneth	215	–	41
31	Ryan	214	↑3	14
32	Stephen	213	–	37
33	Benjamin	210	↓5	34
34	Brandon	207	↑3	40
35	Chad	206	–	35
36	Paul	201	↓9	33
37	Andrew	198	↓4	22
38	Bradley	195	↓9	53
39	Nathan	194	↑5	36
40	Gregory	180	↓14	38
41	Donald	170	↓2	48
42	Larry	170	↓2	64
43	Gary	169	↓1	60
44	Justin	160	new	28
45	Billy	158	↓2	99
46	Bryan	143	↓5	43
47	Travis	138	–	46
48	Ronald	137	new	55
49	Shaun	137	new	52
50	Phillip	133	↓2	67

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