Popular baby names in New Jersey, 1978

The most popular baby names in New Jersey in 1978 were Jennifer for girls (1,676 babies) and Michael for boys (2,525). Social Security records list 77,654 babies born in New Jersey in 1978 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in New Jersey in 1978

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

Girls

Sameerah: 20 babies, 21.7× the national rate
Khadijah: 20 babies, 11.7× the national rate
Shakira: 29 babies, 11.6× the national rate
Zakiyyah: 19 babies, 11.3× the national rate
Malika: 25 babies, 9× the national rate
Rasheedah: 23 babies, 8.7× the national rate
Damaris: 20 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Maritza: 29 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Yadira: 21 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Lisette: 21 babies, 4.1× the national rate

Boys

Raheem: 39 babies, 14.3× the national rate
Rashawn: 30 babies, 11.4× the national rate
Rasheed: 23 babies, 9.8× the national rate
Hassan: 33 babies, 9.4× the national rate
Malik: 35 babies, 8.3× the national rate
Kareem: 49 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Wilfredo: 22 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Alexis: 32 babies, 5× the national rate
Salvatore: 41 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Dominick: 36 babies, 4.5× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in New Jersey, 1978

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1977	US rank
1	Jennifer	1,676	–	1
2	Melissa	879	–	2
3	Jessica	800	–	3
4	Nicole	728	–	10
5	Michelle	558	↑2	9
6	Lisa	542	↑3	11
7	Kelly	519	↓2	12
8	Kimberly	503	↑2	13
9	Heather	496	↓1	5
10	Amy	495	↓4	4
11	Danielle	473	↑1	31
12	Christine	472	↑1	29
13	Christina	461	↑1	15
14	Elizabeth	448	↓3	14
15	Stephanie	375	↑1	16
16	Laura	351	↓1	19
17	Lauren	329	↑10	80
18	Erin	295	↑2	21
19	Tara	294	↓2	40
20	Rebecca	281	↓2	17
21	Sarah	280	↑2	8
22	Amanda	269	↑6	6
23	Shannon	259	↓2	22
24	Jamie	256	↑2	20
25	Andrea	252	↑12	23
26	Karen	249	↓7	39
27	Michele	249	↓2	86
28	Dana	230	↑2	71
29	Maria	214	↓5	36
30	Erica	213	↑10	34
31	Mary	210	↓9	24
32	Dawn	208	↑1	52
33	Jill	208	↑2	46
34	Angela	206	–	7
35	Kathleen	203	↓3	79
36	Kristen	196	↑2	62
37	Megan	196	↓1	41
38	Susan	196	↓7	49
39	Rachel	193	↑3	25
40	Jaime	192	↓11	70
41	Cynthia	182	↑3	50
42	Patricia	177	↓3	48
43	Jacqueline	174	↑4	81
44	Katherine	165	new	38
45	Cheryl	161	new	94
46	Kristin	159	–	78
47	Gina	158	new	93
48	Tracy	158	new	47
49	Kristy	155	new	51
50	Sara	155	new	28

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1977	US rank
1	Michael	2,525	–	1
2	Christopher	1,326	–	3
3	David	1,323	–	4
4	Jason	1,192	–	2
5	John	1,172	–	7
6	Robert	1,164	–	8
7	Joseph	1,079	↑1	10
8	James	1,053	↑1	5
9	Brian	1,006	↓2	9
10	Daniel	817	–	11
11	Matthew	772	↑1	6
12	William	761	↓1	13
13	Thomas	692	–	23
14	Kevin	684	–	15
15	Richard	620	↑1	21
16	Anthony	592	↓1	20
17	Jeffrey	510	–	19
18	Timothy	480	↑4	17
19	Eric	479	↓1	16
20	Ryan	476	↑3	14
21	Steven	476	↓1	24
22	Mark	433	↓3	26
23	Scott	416	↓2	30
24	Nicholas	408	↑19	25
25	Andrew	384	↓1	22
26	Paul	379	↓1	33
27	Stephen	356	↑1	37
28	Charles	352	↓1	27
29	Peter	347	↑1	54
30	Gregory	338	↓1	38
31	Adam	321	↑5	29
32	Edward	321	↓6	47
33	Jonathan	316	↓1	31
34	Joshua	306	↑6	12
35	Sean	295	↓2	45
36	Kenneth	288	↓2	41
37	Keith	285	↓6	49
38	Patrick	280	↑1	42
39	Jose	276	↓2	44
40	Justin	261	↑1	28
41	Frank	237	↓3	77
42	George	232	↓7	58
43	Douglas	198	↑4	59
44	Shaun	196	new	52
45	Ronald	189	↑1	55
46	Shawn	186	↓4	39
47	Bryan	183	↓3	43
48	Todd	179	new	56
49	Luis	174	new	>100
50	Craig	172	new	66

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