Popular baby names in Massachusetts, 1981

The most popular baby names in Massachusetts in 1981 were Jennifer for girls (1,433 babies) and Michael for boys (2,165). Social Security records list 67,374 babies born in Massachusetts in 1981 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Massachusetts in 1981

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

Girls

Katelyn: 57 babies, 19.8× the national rate
Kaitlyn: 34 babies, 19.5× the national rate
Kaitlin: 43 babies, 10.8× the national rate
Meaghan: 62 babies, 9.6× the national rate
Caitlin: 139 babies, 9.4× the national rate
Maura: 40 babies, 8.9× the national rate
Marybeth: 17 babies, 8.2× the national rate
Lynne: 26 babies, 7.8× the national rate
Kerri: 99 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Kerry: 90 babies, 5.1× the national rate

Boys

Brendan: 122 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Brendon: 21 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Dana: 51 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Bradford: 47 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Francis: 61 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Gerard: 19 babies, 3× the national rate
Marc: 119 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Peter: 332 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Nelson: 33 babies, 2.6× the national rate
Sean: 416 babies, 2.3× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Massachusetts, 1981

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1980	US rank
1	Jennifer	1,433	–	1
2	Jessica	993	↑1	2
3	Melissa	808	↓1	5
4	Sarah	788	–	4
5	Nicole	660	–	7
6	Elizabeth	656	–	9
7	Amanda	515	↑2	3
8	Michelle	508	↓1	11
9	Amy	504	↑3	6
10	Erin	477	↓2	19
11	Stephanie	447	↑4	8
12	Kristen	426	↑8	38
13	Rebecca	416	↑1	12
14	Lisa	401	↓4	18
15	Danielle	383	↑1	30
16	Heather	382	↓5	10
17	Kimberly	380	↓4	13
18	Lauren	359	↑1	35
19	Kelly	346	↓1	23
20	Laura	319	↓3	21
21	Emily	304	↑4	29
22	Kristin	304	↑10	31
23	Christine	289	↓1	42
24	Rachel	282	↑3	22
25	Katherine	275	↓1	39
26	Christina	265	↓5	17
27	Julie	264	↓4	37
28	Sara	263	↓2	26
29	Andrea	249	↑2	24
30	Crystal	244	↑7	16
31	Shannon	238	↓3	32
32	Katie	223	↓2	44
33	Kathryn	217	↑7	48
34	Angela	202	↓5	15
35	Courtney	190	↑9	43
36	Kathleen	183	↓2	82
37	Megan	180	↑1	33
38	Lindsay	179	new	47
39	Mary	179	↓3	27
40	Erica	176	↓7	36
41	Tiffany	173	↓2	14
42	Catherine	169	↑5	73
43	Meghan	169	↓8	>100
44	Tara	167	↓1	45
45	Allison	163	↓3	57
46	Jamie	157	–	28
47	Jillian	157	new	>100
48	Jill	146	↓7	78
49	Caitlin	139	new	>100
50	Colleen	135	↓2	>100

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1980	US rank
1	Michael	2,165	–	1
2	Matthew	1,491	–	3
3	Christopher	1,327	–	2
4	David	1,125	↑1	5
5	Jason	942	↓1	4
6	John	901	–	8
7	Daniel	879	–	10
8	Joseph	873	↑3	11
9	James	848	↓1	7
10	Robert	801	↓1	9
11	Brian	775	↓1	14
12	Jonathan	709	↑7	16
13	Joshua	640	↓1	6
14	Ryan	626	↑1	13
15	Adam	587	↑5	20
16	Jeffrey	578	↑2	29
17	William	570	↓1	15
18	Nicholas	565	↑5	21
19	Kevin	560	↑2	25
20	Andrew	559	↓3	18
21	Justin	557	↑3	12
22	Timothy	549	↓9	24
23	Thomas	517	↓1	26
24	Eric	482	↓10	17
25	Richard	450	↑1	27
26	Sean	416	↑6	44
27	Mark	415	↓2	33
28	Paul	406	↓1	35
29	Scott	402	↓1	34
30	Patrick	388	↑3	38
31	Stephen	388	↓2	39
32	Anthony	372	↓2	23
33	Steven	345	↓2	28
34	Peter	332	–	55
35	Benjamin	323	–	32
36	Jeremy	250	↑3	22
37	Gregory	243	–	46
38	Derek	228	↓2	53
39	Jesse	223	↑7	37
40	Nathan	221	–	36
41	Shawn	213	↓3	49
42	Edward	209	↑2	51
43	Charles	204	–	31
44	Kenneth	195	↓3	41
45	Keith	178	↓3	58
46	Aaron	172	↓1	30
47	Alexander	164	–	70
48	Brandon	159	new	19
49	Craig	146	↓1	72
50	Bryan	143	–	48

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