Popular baby names in North Carolina, 1978

The most popular baby names in North Carolina in 1978 were Jennifer for girls (1,324 babies) and Michael for boys (1,524). Social Security records list 69,538 babies born in North Carolina in 1978 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in North Carolina in 1978

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

Girls

Tarsha: 17 babies, 6.6× the national rate
Tomeka: 33 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Letitia: 24 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Latonya: 91 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Shameka: 31 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Latonia: 17 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Lashonda: 39 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Lashanda: 22 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Tameka: 72 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Latisha: 70 babies, 3.5× the national rate

Boys

Shelton: 22 babies, 7.1× the national rate
Scottie: 27 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Donnie: 62 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Chadwick: 44 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Kelvin: 63 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Tracy: 43 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Reggie: 23 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Torrey: 21 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Darrick: 28 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Mickey: 19 babies, 3.5× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in North Carolina, 1978

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1977	US rank
1	Jennifer	1,324	–	1
2	Crystal	769	↑3	18
3	Amanda	623	↑5	6
4	Amy	623	↓2	4
5	Kimberly	622	↓1	13
6	Melissa	622	↑1	2
7	Angela	610	↓1	7
8	Heather	580	↓5	5
9	Kelly	455	–	12
10	Jessica	446	↑7	3
11	Elizabeth	439	↓1	14
12	Stephanie	424	–	16
13	April	396	↑3	27
14	Christina	384	↓1	15
15	Shannon	369	↓4	22
16	Mary	358	↓2	24
17	Lisa	319	↓2	11
18	Brandy	298	↑14	37
19	Sarah	283	↑7	8
20	Jamie	281	↓2	20
21	Michelle	276	↓1	9
22	Rebecca	276	–	17
23	Christy	272	↑1	59
24	Emily	243	↑7	33
25	Laura	243	↓6	19
26	Tonya	230	↓3	77
27	Misty	229	↓2	43
28	Tina	222	new	45
29	Ashley	219	↑6	87
30	Julie	218	↓1	26
31	Wendy	204	↓10	56
32	Karen	202	↓5	39
33	Tiffany	194	↑4	32
34	Susan	185	↓4	49
35	Tracy	179	↓2	47
36	Katherine	172	↑10	38
37	Holly	168	↑7	55
38	Kristy	161	new	51
39	Amber	159	↑3	30
40	Nicole	159	↑8	10
41	Erin	158	↓3	21
42	Andrea	156	↓8	23
43	Leslie	156	↓4	63
44	Tammy	156	↓16	67
45	Erica	145	↓5	34
46	Natasha	141	new	>100
47	Latoya	137	new	>100
48	Brandi	135	new	61
49	Carrie	133	↓13	35
50	Cynthia	133	↓9	50

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1977	US rank
1	Michael	1,524	–	1
2	Christopher	1,426	–	3
3	James	1,334	↑1	5
4	Jason	1,309	↓1	2
5	David	961	–	4
6	William	948	–	13
7	Robert	862	–	8
8	John	839	–	7
9	Brian	664	–	9
10	Matthew	586	↑3	6
11	Timothy	586	↑3	17
12	Charles	569	↓1	27
13	Joshua	565	↑3	12
14	Joseph	554	↓2	10
15	Kevin	534	↓5	15
16	Jonathan	529	↓1	31
17	Daniel	498	↑1	11
18	Jeremy	472	↓1	18
19	Thomas	466	↑2	23
20	Steven	400	↑4	24
21	Eric	376	↓1	16
22	Anthony	372	–	20
23	Richard	363	↓4	21
24	Jeffrey	344	↓1	19
25	Kenneth	318	–	41
26	Andrew	289	–	22
27	Stephen	282	↑3	37
28	Nicholas	275	new	25
29	Adam	274	↑18	29
30	Brandon	274	↑2	40
31	Mark	258	↓3	26
32	Travis	254	↑1	46
33	Justin	252	new	28
34	Chad	232	↓7	35
35	Benjamin	227	↓6	34
36	Gregory	227	↓5	38
37	Ryan	224	↓1	14
38	Donald	219	↑3	48
39	Derrick	217	↑6	76
40	Larry	215	↓6	64
41	Aaron	213	new	32
42	Patrick	205	new	42
43	Bradley	187	↓4	53
44	Paul	186	↓7	33
45	Phillip	180	↑4	67
46	Samuel	176	new	57
47	Bryan	173	↓12	43
48	Nathan	169	new	36
49	Jerry	165	↓7	82
50	Bobby	163	↓4	>100

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