Popular baby names in Virginia, 1979

The most popular baby names in Virginia in 1979 were Jennifer for girls (1,240 babies) and Michael for boys (1,429). Social Security records list 62,457 babies born in Virginia in 1979 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Virginia in 1979

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

Girls

Tarsha: 15 babies, 6.8× the national rate
Latarsha: 15 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Tomeka: 28 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Ashleigh: 15 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Shameka: 24 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Virginia: 84 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Tameka: 45 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Patrice: 24 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Catrina: 22 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Latrice: 19 babies, 2.8× the national rate

Boys

Linwood: 17 babies, 15.2× the national rate
Demond: 18 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Hunter: 17 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Carlton: 35 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Dwayne: 80 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Donnell: 17 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Randolph: 22 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Antoine: 48 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Lamont: 31 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Marvin: 65 babies, 2.7× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Virginia, 1979

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1978	US rank
1	Jennifer	1,240	–	1
2	Melissa	729	–	2
3	Amanda	709	↑5	3
4	Jessica	609	↑2	4
5	Crystal	500	↓1	18
6	Amy	490	↓3	5
7	Sarah	478	↑2	6
8	Elizabeth	474	↑2	11
9	Heather	467	↓4	7
10	Angela	466	↓3	8
11	Kimberly	460	–	12
12	Stephanie	408	↑2	15
13	Christina	389	↓1	14
14	Kelly	373	↓1	16
15	Michelle	353	–	10
16	Rebecca	335	↑3	17
17	Lisa	330	↓1	13
18	Laura	306	↑3	20
19	Mary	299	↑1	24
20	April	294	↓2	23
21	Shannon	288	↓4	25
22	Nicole	286	↑1	9
23	Katherine	218	↑1	36
24	Jamie	215	↑5	19
25	Emily	200	↑1	34
26	Tiffany	193	↓1	28
27	Erin	192	↓5	21
28	Rachel	181	↓1	27
29	Amber	176	↑15	22
30	Megan	172	new	31
31	Carrie	168	↓3	41
32	Brandy	163	↑1	39
33	Sara	162	↓3	30
34	Karen	156	↓3	46
35	Wendy	154	↑2	64
36	Susan	152	↑2	51
37	Tara	148	↑13	38
38	Catherine	145	↑9	78
39	Kathryn	143	↑3	50
40	Dana	142	new	54
41	Tracy	142	↑7	49
42	Julie	140	↓6	29
43	Ashley	139	↑3	67
44	Samantha	137	new	66
45	Tonya	132	↓5	86
46	Courtney	130	new	71
47	Danielle	128	new	33
48	Erica	126	new	32
49	Tina	126	↓15	58
50	Christine	125	↓18	35

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1978	US rank
1	Michael	1,429	–	1
2	Christopher	1,244	–	2
3	Jason	1,200	–	3
4	James	1,130	–	5
5	David	937	↑1	4
6	Robert	864	↓1	8
7	John	855	–	7
8	William	797	–	13
9	Matthew	738	↑1	6
10	Brian	656	↓1	10
11	Daniel	507	↑3	12
12	Joseph	507	–	11
13	Joshua	506	↑2	9
14	Kevin	477	↓3	19
15	Timothy	458	↓2	18
16	Jeremy	442	↑9	16
17	Jonathan	435	↑1	31
18	Charles	423	↓2	28
19	Richard	396	↑1	25
20	Thomas	390	↓3	26
21	Travis	387	↑24	36
22	Andrew	370	↑1	20
23	Anthony	341	↑1	21
24	Eric	339	↓3	17
25	Adam	314	↑6	23
26	Jeffrey	311	↑1	24
27	Ryan	309	↓1	14
28	Steven	302	↓9	27
29	Stephen	297	↓1	40
30	Justin	293	–	22
31	Mark	280	↓9	30
32	Nicholas	273	↑1	15
33	Kenneth	266	↑1	41
34	Benjamin	259	↓2	33
35	Brandon	237	↑4	35
36	Aaron	218	↑2	32
37	Paul	217	↓8	34
38	Scott	210	↓1	29
39	Shawn	204	↓3	43
40	Gregory	194	↓5	42
41	Patrick	194	↑1	39
42	Edward	183	↑7	48
43	Donald	179	↑3	51
44	George	171	↓1	57
45	Keith	170	new	52
46	Nathan	168	↓5	37
47	Bryan	147	↓7	46
48	Samuel	144	new	55
49	Chad	143	↑1	38
50	Ronald	141	↓2	54

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