Popular baby names in North Carolina, 1986

The most popular baby names in North Carolina in 1986 were Ashley for girls (1,521 babies) and Christopher for boys (1,719). Ashley ranked #2 nationally for girls. Christopher ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 76,444 babies born in North Carolina in 1986 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in North Carolina in 1986

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

Lakisha: 30 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Lakeshia: 24 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Portia: 19 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Latonya: 33 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Chiquita: 26 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Lashonda: 22 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Shanika: 18 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Meredith: 137 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Terri: 45 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Chasity: 44 babies, 3.4× the national rate

Boys

Shelton: 21 babies, 9.1× the national rate
Demario: 31 babies, 5.7× the national rate
Carlton: 35 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Cedric: 53 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Ashley: 32 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Darius: 48 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Quentin: 46 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Kendrick: 42 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Quinton: 36 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Donnie: 22 babies, 3.2× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in North Carolina, 1986

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1985	US rank
1	Ashley	1,521	–	2
2	Jessica	1,502	–	1
3	Amanda	1,103	↑1	3
4	Jennifer	839	↓1	4
5	Brittany	720	↑9	8
6	Heather	676	↓1	9
7	Sarah	562	↑2	5
8	Amber	540	↑2	13
9	Stephanie	526	↓3	6
10	Tiffany	521	↑5	17
11	Crystal	482	↓4	25
12	Lauren	473	↓1	14
13	Elizabeth	468	↓5	10
14	Megan	423	↓1	11
15	Kimberly	414	↓3	18
16	Whitney	378	new	32
17	Laura	340	↓1	20
18	Mary	333	–	37
19	Melissa	332	↓2	12
20	Emily	331	↓1	24
21	Rachel	293	↑3	15
22	Samantha	293	↑4	21
23	Rebecca	286	↓2	26
24	Amy	285	↓2	22
25	Christina	276	↓5	19
26	Katherine	269	↑6	28
27	Kelly	268	↓4	29
28	Erica	261	↓3	31
29	Courtney	258	↑2	35
30	Danielle	240	↓2	16
31	April	230	↓4	53
32	Shannon	230	↓3	44
33	Michelle	227	↑10	23
34	Jamie	221	↓4	34
35	Anna	211	↑1	51
36	Allison	208	↑6	42
37	Nicole	204	↑3	7
38	Erin	198	↓4	30
39	Sara	198	↑7	27
40	Angela	196	↓7	33
41	Kristen	187	↓6	41
42	Lindsay	185	↓4	46
43	Brandy	166	↓6	84
44	Kathryn	166	↑6	48
45	Lindsey	163	↑2	39
46	Casey	160	new	80
47	Holly	160	↓3	63
48	Katie	156	new	38
49	Hannah	146	new	82
50	Latoya	141	↓11	>100

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1985	US rank
1	Christopher	1,719	–	2
2	Michael	1,341	↑1	1
3	Joshua	1,159	↓1	4
4	Matthew	1,136	↑1	3
5	Brandon	1,106	↑1	13
6	James	1,079	↓2	7
7	William	1,014	–	15
8	Justin	897	↑5	14
9	David	872	↓1	5
10	John	825	↓1	10
11	Jonathan	817	–	16
12	Robert	781	↓2	9
13	Daniel	752	↓1	6
14	Andrew	636	↑2	8
15	Joseph	621	↓1	12
16	Jeremy	516	↑6	28
17	Kevin	499	↑8	21
18	Jason	496	↓3	18
19	Brian	471	↑1	20
20	Timothy	470	↓3	27
21	Charles	462	↓3	34
22	Ryan	451	↑1	11
23	Thomas	439	↓2	26
24	Anthony	415	–	19
25	Adam	404	↓6	24
26	Steven	401	–	25
27	Eric	363	↑2	22
28	Dustin	355	↑5	42
29	Richard	344	↓1	29
30	Stephen	327	–	36
31	Travis	326	↓4	49
32	Nicholas	320	↓1	17
33	Benjamin	319	↓1	30
34	Kenneth	293	↑1	50
35	Zachary	289	↑2	38
36	Jeffrey	279	↓2	32
37	Aaron	258	↑1	33
38	Jacob	256	↑6	31
39	Mark	255	–	35
40	Kyle	251	↑1	23
41	Bryan	240	↓1	47
42	Bradley	239	↑5	54
43	Samuel	213	↑2	52
44	Patrick	210	↓8	39
45	Marcus	207	↓2	63
46	Gregory	197	↓4	46
47	Jordan	196	new	53
48	Antonio	187	new	73
49	Tyler	184	↑1	40
50	Nathan	174	↓4	43

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