Popular baby names in North Carolina, 1981

The most popular baby names in North Carolina in 1981 were Jennifer for girls (1,336 babies) and Michael for boys (1,427). Social Security records list 70,970 babies born in North Carolina in 1981 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in North Carolina in 1981

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

Latoria: 20 babies, 6.2× the national rate
Kesha: 20 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Lashonda: 42 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Meredith: 146 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Shameka: 30 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Lawanda: 19 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Shanta: 17 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Latonya: 65 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Lakisha: 52 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Lakesha: 31 babies, 3.3× the national rate

Boys

Ashley: 57 babies, 4× the national rate
Antwan: 29 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Tracy: 31 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Charlie: 44 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Bobby: 183 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Darius: 34 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Jody: 33 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Kendrick: 32 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Brooks: 25 babies, 3× the national rate
Lamont: 25 babies, 3× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in North Carolina, 1981

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1980	US rank
1	Jennifer	1,336	–	1
2	Amanda	1,017	–	3
3	Jessica	972	↑2	2
4	Crystal	811	↓1	16
5	Melissa	574	↓1	5
6	Kimberly	515	–	13
7	Stephanie	497	↑6	8
8	Amy	494	↑4	6
9	Sarah	491	↑6	4
10	Elizabeth	486	↓2	9
11	Tiffany	472	↓1	14
12	Heather	448	↓5	10
13	April	435	↓4	25
14	Mary	417	–	27
15	Ashley	402	↑3	34
16	Angela	362	↓5	15
17	Rebecca	320	↑4	12
18	Emily	318	↑8	29
19	Laura	307	↑1	21
20	Brandy	296	↑4	41
21	Christina	290	↓4	17
22	Amber	287	↓3	20
23	Kelly	286	↓7	23
24	Jamie	279	↑3	28
25	Shannon	267	↓2	32
26	Michelle	259	↓1	11
27	Erin	249	↑1	19
28	Lisa	249	↓6	18
29	Latoya	234	new	69
30	Lauren	214	↑12	35
31	Kristin	200	↑7	31
32	Andrea	195	↑4	24
33	Leslie	195	new	56
34	Kristen	190	↓4	38
35	Erica	186	↓6	36
36	Brandi	185	↑12	50
37	Katherine	181	↑2	39
38	Courtney	176	↑9	43
39	Christy	174	↓6	99
40	Misty	166	↓9	61
41	Nicole	164	↓1	7
42	Anna	160	↓5	54
43	Tonya	159	↓11	>100
44	Carrie	156	↑2	55
45	Sara	156	↓4	26
46	Rachel	154	↓3	22
47	Julie	151	↓13	37
48	Pamela	149	new	76
49	Meredith	146	new	>100
50	Allison	144	new	57

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1980	US rank
1	Michael	1,427	↑1	1
2	Christopher	1,309	↓1	2
3	James	1,251	–	7
4	Jason	1,081	–	4
5	Joshua	1,008	↑2	6
6	William	956	–	15
7	David	954	↓2	5
8	Matthew	877	↑3	3
9	John	844	–	8
10	Jonathan	783	–	16
11	Robert	761	↓3	9
12	Brandon	714	↑8	19
13	Joseph	606	–	11
14	Brian	604	↓2	14
15	Daniel	569	↑1	10
16	Justin	565	↓1	12
17	Jeremy	514	–	22
18	Charles	510	–	31
19	Timothy	492	↓5	24
20	Eric	393	↑2	17
21	Kevin	391	↓2	25
22	Thomas	391	↑1	26
23	Travis	383	↓2	40
24	Richard	380	–	27
25	Adam	347	–	20
26	Steven	343	↑2	28
27	Anthony	334	↓1	23
28	Andrew	331	↑3	18
29	Benjamin	318	–	32
30	Jeffrey	311	–	29
31	Kenneth	304	↑2	41
32	Nicholas	291	↓5	21
33	Ryan	283	↑6	13
34	Stephen	282	↓2	39
35	Aaron	264	↑9	30
36	Mark	223	↓2	33
37	Patrick	219	↑1	38
38	Dustin	203	new	42
39	Marcus	198	↑8	67
40	Bradley	192	↓4	50
41	Gregory	187	↓1	46
42	Larry	186	↑6	73
43	Bobby	183	↑6	>100
44	Chad	180	↓9	47
45	Paul	180	↓4	35
46	Bryan	179	↓4	48
47	Edward	178	new	51
48	Nathan	178	↓3	36
49	Phillip	177	↑1	66
50	Samuel	175	↓4	54

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