Popular baby names in Massachusetts, 1972

The most popular baby names in Massachusetts in 1972 were Jennifer for girls (2,077 babies) and Michael for boys (2,224). Social Security records list 71,889 babies born in Massachusetts in 1972 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Massachusetts in 1972

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

Girls

Caitlin: 23 babies, 13.3× the national rate
Maryellen: 18 babies, 8.9× the national rate
Lynne: 73 babies, 7.7× the national rate
Maura: 41 babies, 7.6× the national rate
Kerrie: 45 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Kerry: 213 babies, 5× the national rate
Maureen: 111 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Kate: 24 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Annmarie: 30 babies, 4× the national rate
Lauren: 84 babies, 3.7× the national rate

Boys

Brendan: 59 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Dana: 100 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Derek: 383 babies, 4× the national rate
Peter: 497 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Francis: 68 babies, 3× the national rate
Shaun: 59 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Gregg: 39 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Marc: 207 babies, 2.6× the national rate
Seth: 51 babies, 2.5× the national rate
Colin: 33 babies, 2.5× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Massachusetts, 1972

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1971	US rank
1	Jennifer	2,077	–	1
2	Lisa	900	–	3
3	Michelle	900	–	2
4	Kimberly	733	–	4
5	Amy	684	–	5
6	Christine	605	–	16
7	Nicole	592	↑12	10
8	Melissa	583	–	7
9	Heather	554	↑1	9
10	Karen	462	↓3	21
11	Julie	455	–	12
12	Susan	411	↓3	24
13	Elizabeth	403	↓1	15
14	Kelly	371	↓1	23
15	Rebecca	363	↑14	14
16	Dawn	352	↑1	20
17	Kathleen	337	↓3	57
18	Laura	323	↓3	17
19	Stephanie	312	↑9	8
20	Mary	304	↑2	13
21	Kristin	302	↑5	67
22	Jessica	295	↑11	46
23	Patricia	294	–	27
24	Tracy	290	↓6	19
25	Kristen	283	↓9	85
26	Tara	280	new	38
27	Tammy	262	↓6	11
28	Lori	253	↓8	28
29	Cheryl	250	↑3	56
30	Andrea	247	–	30
31	Deborah	233	↓6	43
32	Wendy	229	↓1	29
33	Tina	221	↓6	18
34	Christina	219	↑16	26
35	Laurie	218	↓1	98
36	Heidi	216	↑11	64
37	Kerry	213	↑1	>100
38	Sandra	205	↓3	31
39	Denise	202	↑5	35
40	Sarah	201	–	49
41	Erin	200	↑1	93
42	Donna	199	↑1	45
43	Pamela	198	↓19	34
44	Michele	187	↑2	36
45	Cynthia	185	↓4	25
46	Sharon	185	↑2	50
47	Rachel	182	new	40
48	Shannon	182	new	22
49	Suzanne	180	new	92
50	Angela	177	↓14	6

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1971	US rank
1	Michael	2,224	–	1
2	Christopher	1,630	↑2	2
3	David	1,429	↓1	4
4	John	1,329	↓1	5
5	Robert	1,205	–	6
6	James	1,155	–	3
7	Brian	1,107	↑2	8
8	Jason	943	↑5	7
9	Scott	878	↓2	11
10	Matthew	817	↑5	10
11	William	800	↓3	9
12	Mark	762	↓2	18
13	Joseph	760	↑1	12
14	Richard	745	↓2	14
15	Daniel	736	↑4	15
16	Eric	694	↑4	16
17	Kevin	694	↑1	13
18	Jeffrey	654	↓7	17
19	Paul	627	↓3	24
20	Thomas	602	↓3	20
21	Steven	530	–	19
22	Stephen	528	–	29
23	Sean	501	↑1	33
24	Peter	497	↓1	48
25	Timothy	450	–	21
26	Keith	398	↑2	38
27	Derek	383	–	67
28	Jonathan	378	↑7	37
29	Shawn	368	↑4	28
30	Anthony	355	↓4	22
31	Edward	343	↓2	34
32	Gregory	331	↑4	26
33	Todd	330	↓3	31
34	Kenneth	328	↓2	27
35	Andrew	300	↓4	30
36	Patrick	281	↑1	35
37	Charles	279	↓3	23
38	Adam	236	↑2	51
39	Craig	233	↓1	46
40	Joshua	216	↑9	59
41	Marc	207	↑1	83
42	George	202	↓3	44
43	Douglas	188	↑1	43
44	Ronald	181	↓3	32
45	Donald	170	↓2	36
46	Dennis	163	↑2	52
47	Jeremy	154	↓1	42
48	Gary	151	↓3	41
49	Chad	140	new	25
50	Frank	140	–	56

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