Popular baby names in Virginia, 1978

The most popular baby names in Virginia in 1978 were Jennifer for girls (1,244 babies) and Michael for boys (1,385). Social Security records list 59,858 babies born in Virginia in 1978 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Virginia in 1978

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

Girls

Tomeka: 26 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Tawanda: 18 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Chanda: 18 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Terry: 16 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Lawanda: 25 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Shameka: 19 babies, 3× the national rate
Latonya: 49 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Virginia: 84 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Lakeisha: 41 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Latrice: 15 babies, 2.8× the national rate

Boys

Linwood: 21 babies, 16.1× the national rate
Antoine: 44 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Levar: 17 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Lamont: 33 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Dwayne: 72 babies, 3× the national rate
Darrick: 20 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Antwan: 18 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Harvey: 17 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Vernon: 32 babies, 2.6× the national rate
Cecil: 18 babies, 2.6× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Virginia, 1978

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1977	US rank
1	Jennifer	1,244	–	1
2	Melissa	595	↑2	2
3	Amy	552	↓1	4
4	Crystal	511	↑7	18
5	Heather	496	↓2	5
6	Jessica	490	↑1	3
7	Angela	480	↓2	7
8	Amanda	473	↑2	6
9	Sarah	459	↑3	8
10	Elizabeth	451	↓1	14
11	Kimberly	448	↓5	13
12	Christina	407	↑4	15
13	Kelly	396	↓5	12
14	Stephanie	392	↓1	16
15	Michelle	388	↓1	9
16	Lisa	318	↑3	11
17	Shannon	318	↓2	22
18	April	317	↑3	27
19	Rebecca	305	↓1	17
20	Mary	296	↓3	24
21	Laura	244	↓1	19
22	Erin	241	↑4	21
23	Nicole	228	↓1	10
24	Katherine	207	↑7	38
25	Tiffany	198	↑5	32
26	Emily	193	↑1	33
27	Rachel	187	↑5	25
28	Carrie	186	↓3	35
29	Jamie	186	↓1	20
30	Sara	176	↑7	28
31	Karen	166	↓8	39
32	Christine	165	↑9	29
33	Brandy	164	new	37
34	Tina	161	new	45
35	Andrea	160	↑4	23
36	Julie	157	↓7	26
37	Wendy	153	↓4	56
38	Susan	144	↓14	49
39	Christy	134	new	59
40	Tonya	131	↓6	77
41	Tammy	130	↑2	67
42	Kathryn	127	new	57
43	Melanie	126	↑1	54
44	Amber	124	new	30
45	Leslie	124	new	63
46	Ashley	121	new	87
47	Catherine	121	↓7	72
48	Tracy	119	↓13	47
49	Stacy	117	↓7	44
50	Tara	116	↓12	40

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1977	US rank
1	Michael	1,385	–	1
2	Christopher	1,280	–	3
3	Jason	1,193	–	2
4	James	1,084	–	5
5	Robert	888	↑2	8
6	David	860	↓1	4
7	John	835	↓1	7
8	William	819	–	13
9	Brian	682	–	9
10	Matthew	648	↑1	6
11	Kevin	555	↓1	15
12	Joseph	553	↑1	10
13	Timothy	507	↑3	17
14	Daniel	472	↓2	11
15	Joshua	442	↑7	12
16	Charles	436	↓2	27
17	Thomas	428	↓2	23
18	Jonathan	401	↑3	31
19	Steven	376	↑1	24
20	Richard	368	↓1	21
21	Eric	354	↓4	16
22	Mark	350	↑4	26
23	Andrew	344	↑2	22
24	Anthony	328	–	20
25	Jeremy	308	↓7	18
26	Ryan	308	↑3	14
27	Jeffrey	286	↓4	19
28	Stephen	276	↑2	37
29	Paul	266	↑4	33
30	Justin	255	↑9	28
31	Adam	253	↑4	29
32	Benjamin	253	↓5	34
33	Nicholas	243	new	25
34	Kenneth	236	↓6	41
35	Gregory	231	↓3	38
36	Shawn	216	↓5	39
37	Scott	209	↓3	30
38	Aaron	204	↓2	32
39	Brandon	200	↑8	40
40	Bryan	189	↓3	43
41	Nathan	186	↓1	36
42	Patrick	179	↓4	42
43	George	169	–	58
44	Shaun	163	new	52
45	Travis	161	↓4	46
46	Donald	153	↓1	48
47	Larry	152	new	64
48	Ronald	147	↓4	55
49	Edward	146	↓3	47
50	Chad	140	new	35

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