US first names, 1970–1979
Random names from the 1970s
First names on this page come from Social Security Administration records of U.S. births in the 1970s. That period holds 15,451,863 girls across 20,294 distinct names and 16,515,733 boys across 11,487 distinct names. The three most common names were for girls: Jennifer, Amy, Melissa; for boys: Michael, Christopher, Jason. Names are picked in proportion to how often they were given, and last names come from the 2000 U.S. Census, so the mix looks like real American full names.
More options — middle names, no repeats, realism, seed
1 gives real frequencies. 0 makes every name equally likely.
What the data says
- About 1 in 6 girls born in the 1970s got one of just 10 names. Those 10 names hold 16.5% of all recorded girls.
- Names for girls behave like 702 equally common names out of 20,294 in use (effective number of names).
- The average girl's name has 6.1 letters.
- About 1 in 4 boys born in the 1970s got one of just 10 names. Those 10 names hold 25.5% of all recorded boys.
- Names for boys behave like 294 equally common names out of 11,487 in use (effective number of names).
- The average boy's name has 5.9 letters.
- Fastest riser for girls: Lakisha, from 37 births in 1960 to 1969 to 6,412 in 1970 to 1979.
- Biggest fall for girls: Deb, from 667 births in 1960 to 1969 to 12 in 1970 to 1979.
- Fastest riser for boys: Jamar, from 30 births in 1960 to 1969 to 1,709 in 1970 to 1979.
- Biggest fall for boys: Tim, from 41,572 births in 1960 to 1969 to 5,305 in 1970 to 1979.
Girls: Top 20 names
| # | Name | Births | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jennifer | 581,729 | 3.76% |
| 2 | Amy | 268,994 | 1.74% |
| 3 | Melissa | 253,267 | 1.64% |
| 4 | Michelle | 249,130 | 1.61% |
| 5 | Kimberly | 229,097 | 1.48% |
| 6 | Lisa | 228,690 | 1.48% |
| 7 | Angela | 225,262 | 1.46% |
| 8 | Heather | 203,902 | 1.32% |
| 9 | Stephanie | 160,468 | 1.04% |
| 10 | Nicole | 144,667 | 0.94% |
| 11 | Jessica | 143,492 | 0.93% |
| 12 | Elizabeth | 142,845 | 0.92% |
| 13 | Rebecca | 137,285 | 0.89% |
| 14 | Kelly | 133,545 | 0.86% |
| 15 | Mary | 126,254 | 0.82% |
| 16 | Christina | 125,747 | 0.81% |
| 17 | Amanda | 123,920 | 0.80% |
| 18 | Julie | 121,919 | 0.79% |
| 19 | Sarah | 118,823 | 0.77% |
| 20 | Laura | 118,204 | 0.76% |
Boys: Top 20 names
| # | Name | Births | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael | 707,327 | 4.28% |
| 2 | Christopher | 475,423 | 2.88% |
| 3 | Jason | 462,709 | 2.80% |
| 4 | David | 445,704 | 2.70% |
| 5 | James | 444,713 | 2.69% |
| 6 | John | 402,612 | 2.44% |
| 7 | Robert | 397,225 | 2.41% |
| 8 | Brian | 322,660 | 1.95% |
| 9 | William | 283,401 | 1.72% |
| 10 | Matthew | 277,727 | 1.68% |
| 11 | Joseph | 244,825 | 1.48% |
| 12 | Daniel | 244,454 | 1.48% |
| 13 | Kevin | 212,231 | 1.29% |
| 14 | Eric | 211,481 | 1.28% |
| 15 | Jeffrey | 202,850 | 1.23% |
| 16 | Richard | 202,804 | 1.23% |
| 17 | Scott | 194,520 | 1.18% |
| 18 | Mark | 194,260 | 1.18% |
| 19 | Steven | 188,078 | 1.14% |
| 20 | Thomas | 186,739 | 1.13% |
Girls: 1960 to 1969 → 1970 to 1979
Rising fastest
- Lakisha 37 → 6,412
- Latoya 71 → 11,459
- Tanisha 44 → 5,628
- Lakesha 34 → 3,887
- Ebony 59 → 6,688
Falling fastest
- Deb 667 → 12
- Barb 2,140 → 46
- Bev 480 → 16
- Pam 17,109 → 1,126
- Pat 2,884 → 242
Boys: 1960 to 1969 → 1970 to 1979
Rising fastest
- Jamar 30 → 1,709
- Jeramy 33 → 1,588
- Jeromy 56 → 2,109
- Jeremy 4,610 → 139,307
- Joshua 5,326 → 140,318
Falling fastest
- Tim 41,572 → 5,305
- Pat 6,046 → 787
- Bob 13,789 → 1,983
- Mike 71,456 → 10,304
- Ed 3,779 → 608
Questions and answers
What was the most common girl's name in the 1970s?
Jennifer. 581,729 girls received it, 3.76% of all recorded girls born in the 1970s.
What was the most common boy's name in the 1970s?
Michael. 707,327 boys received it, 4.28% of all recorded boys born in the 1970s.
How concentrated are names in the 1970s?
Among girls the 10 most common names cover 16.5% of births; among boys 25.5%. In this period boys' names were the more concentrated set.
Which names grew fastest compared with 1960 to 1969?
Among names with at least 300 births in 1970 to 1979, the biggest gains were for girls, Lakisha (37 births in 1960 to 1969, 6,412 in 1970 to 1979); for boys, Jamar (30 births in 1960 to 1969, 1,709 in 1970 to 1979).
How long is the average first name in the 1970s?
Weighted by how often each name was given: 6.1 letters for girls, 5.9 letters for boys.