Girls names 1970: Top 100 Baby Names for the 1970s

Top 100 Baby Names for the 1970s

If you were born in the 1965 through mid-1980’s, you are just past the cusp of the “Baby Boomers” generation that ended circa 1965. Your official generation moniker is “Generation X.”

Many parents of Generation X hailed from the Baby Boomer generation. Hence, it makes sense that generation has much to do with popular names from the 1970s.

The “flower child” of the 70’s named many babies in that decade. Here are some additional factors that likely affected baby names in the 1970s:

• The Disco movement;
• Bell Bottoms and Big Hair Fads, including the “Mullet;”
• and possibly the most important factor: the infamous Vietnam War.

Examination of Some 1970s Name Favorites

Leading 1970s boy names: There appears to have been a continuance of strong traditional names with male babies. Many of the top ten hail from centuries ago and/or Biblical times; strong examples are Michael, David, William, Joseph, Robert, Daniel, and Thomas.

Leading 1970s girl names: Ironically, it would seem that not as many girls’ names are as traditional and orthodox- with the exception of Elizabeth, Rebecca, and Mary, which are three continuing mainstays that carried over from previous eras. Many of the other popular names are of a more “creative” and “shiny” disco era, namely: Nicole, Michelle, Jennifer, Lisa, Amanda, and Jessica.

Origins of 1970s Baby Names

One could explore other rationales for the origins of these popular names, but in most cases, baby names from the 70s were derived from ancestors’ names and from current fads and trends. Later decades would see a surge in rhyming two-syllable names such as Aiden, Hayden, Caden, Brayden, and Jayden (both genders), which all seem to have come from just creative ruminations and pursuits.

Rank	1970s Boy Names	1970s Girl Names
1	Michael	Jennifer
2	Christopher	Amy
3	Jason	Melissa
4	David	Michelle
5	James	Kimberly
6	John	Lisa
7	Robert	Angela
8	Brian	Heather
9	William	Stephanie
10	Matthew	Nicole

Rank	1970s Boy Names	1970s Girl Names
11	Joseph	Jessica
12	Daniel	Elizabeth
13	Kevin	Rebecca
14	Eric	Kelly
15	Jeffrey	Mary
16	Richard	Christina
17	Scott	Amanda
18	Mark	Julie
19	Steven	Sarah
20	Thomas	Laura

Rank	1970s Boy Names	1970s Girl Names
21	Timothy	Shannon
22	Anthony	Christine
23	Charles	Tammy
24	Joshua	Tracy
25	Ryan	Karen
26	Jeremy	Dawn
27	Paul	Susan
28	Andrew	Andrea
29	Gregory	Tina
30	Chad	Patricia

Rank	1970s Boy Names	1970s Girl Names
31	Kenneth	Cynthia
32	Jonathan	Lori
33	Stephen	Rachel
34	Shawn	April
35	Aaron	Maria
36	Adam	Wendy
37	Patrick	Crystal
38	Justin	Stacy
39	Sean	Erin
40	Edward	Jamie

Rank	1970s Boy Names	1970s Girl Names
41	Todd	Carrie
42	Donald	Tiffany
43	Ronald	Tara
44	Benjamin	Sandra
45	Keith	Monica
46	Bryan	Danielle
47	Gary	Stacey
48	Jose	Pamela
49	Nathan	Tonya
50	Douglas	Sara

Rank	1970s Boy Names	1970s Girl Names
51	Brandon	Michele
52	Nicholas	Teresa
53	George	Denise
54	Travis	Jill
55	Peter	Katherine
56	Craig	Melanie
57	Bradley	Dana
58	Larry	Holly
59	Dennis	Erica
60	Shane	Brenda

Rank	1970s Boy Names	1970s Girl Names
61	Raymond	Deborah
62	Troy	Tanya
63	Jerry	Sharon
64	Samuel	Donna
65	Frank	Amber
66	Jesse	Emily
67	Jeffery	Linda
68	Juan	Robin
69	Terry	Kathleen

Rank	1970s Boy Names	1970s Girl Names
70	Corey	Leslie
71	Phillip	Christy
72	Marcus	Kristen
73	Derek	Catherine
74	Rodney	Kristin
75	Joel	Misty
76	Carlos	Barbara
77	Randy	Heidi
78	Jacob	Nancy
79	Jamie	Cheryl

Rank	1970s Boy Names	1970s Girl Names
80	Tony	Theresa
81	Russell	Brandy
82	Brent	Alicia
83	Antonio	Veronica
84	Billy	Gina
85	Derrick	Jacqueline
86	Kyle	Rhonda
87	Erik	Anna
88	Johnny	Renee
89	Marc	Megan
90	Carl	Tamara

Rank	1970s Boy Names	1970s Girl Names
91	Philip	Melinda
92	Roger	Kathryn
93	Bobby	Debra
94	Brett	Sherry
95	Danny	Allison
96	Curtis	Valerie
97	Jon	Diana
98	Vincent	Paula
99	Cory	Kristina
100	Jimmy	Ann

Are Popular ’70s Names Still Popular Today?

If you’re looking for a unique name for your baby, you’ll definitely want to know if the top ’70s names are still popular 50 years later. Let’s take a gander at where the top five boys’ and girls’ names from the ’70s rank today.

The five most popular ’70s boys’ names were Michael, Christopher, Jason, David, and James. Michael retains quite a bit of popularity to this day, ranking at 26 in 2023. Christopher still keeps a spot in the Top 100, ranking at 94 in 2023. Jason isn’t quite as popular anymore, ranking at 264 in 2023. David remains in the Top 50 at 45. Finally, James remains extremely popular, ranking at number nine in 2023.

For girls, the five most popular ’70s names were Jennifer, Amy, Melissa, Michelle, and Kimberly. Jennifer has fallen a great deal since the ’70s, ranking at 997 in 2023. Amy fairs better, ranking at 475. Melissa continues the trend of ’70s girl names falling significantly in popularity, ranking at 773. Michelle only ranks five spots lower, at 778. Finally, Kimberly ranks similarly to Amy at 479.

If you want an uncommon name for your baby girl, then the top ’70s girl names are certainly a great place to look!

Top 100 Baby Names by Decade

Female Baby Names for the Seventies

1 — 34				35 — 67				68 — 100
Rank	Name	Frequency		Rank	Name	Frequency		Rank	Name	Frequency
1.	Jennifer	30,712		35.	Stacy	3,547		68.	Kristina	2,067
2.	Amy	15,246		36.	Danielle	3,546		69.	Monica	2,060
3.	Michelle	13,294		37.	Jill	3,517		70.	Kathryn	2,056
4.	Lisa	12,395		38.	Wendy	3,515		71.	Deborah	2,055
5.	Melissa	12,230		39.	Lori	3,457		72.	Tanya	2,053
6.	Angela	11,898		40.	April	3,415		73.	Teresa	2,045
7.	Heather	11,873		41.	Stacey	3,366		74.	Ann	2,031
8.	Kimberly	10,895		42.	Patricia	2,964		75.	Robin	1,956
9.	Nicole	9,484		43.	Michele	2,915		76.	Catherine	1,929
10.	Kelly	8,721		44-45.	Holly	2,848		77.	Cheryl	1,926
11.	Sarah	8,094		44-45.	Crystal	2,848		78.	Linda	1,826
12.	Rebecca	7,936		46.	Katherine	2,825		79.	Barbara	1,821
13.	Julie	7,176		47.	Renee	2,747		80.	Brandy	1,730
14.	Jessica	6,900		48.	Cynthia	2,690		81.	Deanna	1,727
15.	Stephanie	6,550		49.	Heidi	2,622		82.	Maria	1,726
16.	Shannon	6,372		50.	Tonya	2,600		83.	Megan	1,721
17.	Elizabeth	6,302		51.	Kristen	2,592		84.	Beth	1,669
18.	Amanda	6,006		52.	Pamela	2,582		85.	Leslie	1,667
19.	Dawn	5,942		53.	Tiffany	2,543		86.	Kristy	1,647
20.	Laura	5,793		54.	Kristin	2,489		87.	Alicia	1,625
21.	Christina	5,714		55.	Sandra	2,423		88.	Rhonda	1,621
22.	Mary	5,349		56.	Tara	2,388		89.	Tracey	1,596
23.	Andrea	5,200		57.	Emily	2,372		90.	Debra	1,574
24.	Tracy	4,985		58.	Denise	2,346		91.	Jacqueline	1,533
25.	Christine	4,847		59.	Kathleen	2,332		92.	Anne	1,515
26.	Carrie	4,578		60.	Erica	2,321		93.	Nichole	1,514
27.	Jamie	4,390		61.	Theresa	2,297		94.	Colleen	1,489
28.	Rachel	4,350		62.	Melanie	2,293		95.	Sherry	1,453
29.	Tammy	4,332		63.	Jodi	2,257		96.	Anna	1,452
30.	Tina	4,253		64.	Dana	2,233		97.	Donna	1,436
31.	Karen	4,240		65.	Brenda	2,185		98.	Paula	1,412
32.	Sara	3,989		66.	Tamara	2,090		99.	Christy	1,387
33.	Susan	3,847		67.	Amber	2,079		100.	Sharon	1,366
34.	Erin	3,668

Note:	The frequency is calculated by counting the unique spelling of the name.  For example, in order to determine the frequency of the name «Lindsay», babies named «Lindsey» would not be considered, even though the two names sound alike and would have a higher rank if both were counted as one.
Source:	1970-1979 Michigan Resident Birth File.  Division for Vital Records & Health Statistics, Michigan Department of Health & Human Services October 18, 2022

Names of girls who were popular in the USSR — do they have a chance to return to fashion

« She called her daughter Emilia», — a friend boasts.

Today you rarely see «ordinary» Mash or Dash, modern parents try to give their heirs a more fancy name.

Camillas, Arians, Darinas are playing on the playground — and this is partly understandable: the generation of millennials is becoming parents, and for them all borders have long been open. Western, European, Asian names are cunningly intertwined with Russian reality, giving us intricate combinations like Estella Vasilievna.

Esotericists are skeptical about such combinations, assuring that a person who has received a prominent name will have to go out of his way all his life to prove to others that he is really special.

“Names are formed by time, epoch. If in tsarist Russia it was customary to name children according to the calendar, Agafya, Glafira, Feodosia, Dunya were popular among girls, then with the advent of Soviet power, when the church faded into the background, giving way to secular society, the approach to names also changed. Collectivization became the main principles of the new system in Soviet Russia. Names have become simpler, more memorable, and now they met en masse, ”shares with Woman.ru historian, sociologist Ivan Kataev .

In the mid-1960s, there was a well-known anecdote in Moscow, consisting of just one phrase: “Are you having a boy or Lenochka?”

The sixties of the XX century in the Soviet Union became the real kingdom of Helena. This name was the leader for a quarter of a century, only in 1985 having lost its positions. By that time, there were 14-16 Lenochkas for every hundred girls.

Only Natasha could compete with Lenam. This name was especially popular in 1960s — 1970s. And in the 1950s, Tanya met most often.

Such stubbornness and the dominance of the same names did not cause much concern to the party, and the choice of people was seriously narrowed down: church calendars were not issued at all in those years, parents chose from a relatively small list. But everyone lived about the same: Czechoslovak walls, Biryusa refrigerators, a hat, like Nadia from The Irony of Fate, and daughter Lena.

Vasilisa, Varvara, Zoya, Vera met extremely rarely at that time.

In the late 1970s, the picture began to be diluted with old names, they gradually returned to fashion: girls began to be called Maria, Anna, Ekaterina, Anastasia.

“These names refer us to the Russian Empire, when children were given names in honor of crowned persons, believing that the baby would have a strong heavenly patron and intercessor. The same as that of the sovereign or empress. In the same period, the inhabitants of the Union actively adopt names from different republics. For example, Oksana is becoming popular — this is the Ukrainian version of our Ksyusha, or Olesya — the Belarusian reading of Alexandra, ”the historian shares.

At the time when the country was being rebuilt after the war, the simple and reliable Ivans and Marias were again relevant. For a thousand newborns in the country at that time, every third girl was called Masha.

“The Soviet period of history was rich in events, changes and repressions. People were, shall we say, more cautious in their preferences. If someone dared to take a bold step, then these were derivative names. For example, Vladlen is Vladimir Lenin, and Ninel is the female form of Lenin, vice versa. The fashion for names was set by war heroes, generals, actors of patriotic films. After the release of »Ballad of a Soldier», the girls began to be called Zhanna, like the main character Zhanna Prokhorenko, ”the expert argues.

Only when the iron curtain collapsed completely did the inhabitants of the USSR begin to call their children newfangled borrowed names. Diana, Roberta, Renata, Marianna and Rosa appeared (thanks to the Brazilian TV series).

“To understand which names were the most popular in the USSR is quite simple: just look at the names of acquaintances who have crossed the mark of 40-50 years. These are Anna, Olga, Elena, Maria, Tatyana, Galina, Valentina, Vera, Natalya, Nadezhda, among people of this age, intricate names are rarely found, ”Ivan Kataev sums up.

Speaking about whether modern parents are ready to massively give their children simple names, the historian states: no.

“Some names, yes. These are Anna, Vera, Nelly, Alexandra, Sofia. But the list is not so long, people today want to stand out, to be different from others. But history, as we know, is cyclical. And, perhaps, after the »royal» Sophia and Alexandra, Tanya and Zhanna will again come into fashion, ”concluded the expert.

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Elena Akimova

Dasha, Masha, Artyom and Nikita: it became known what names are most often called children in Belarus

Komsomolskaya Pravda

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SocietyBelarus: birthdays, traditions , omens

Nadezhda BUTOVICH

January 11, 2021 15:14

Historical names have returned, the fashion for Sofia and Markov has passed, and the girl Mercedes and the boy Tamerlane have been registered in the regions

Sometimes a person does not associate himself with the name given at birth and wants to change it. Photo: pixabay.com.

In Belarus in 1980-2000, girls were most often called Olga, Tatyana or Natalya, and boys — Dmitry, Sergey and Alexander. Then popularity came to female names Sofia, Alice and Maria, and male names — Mark, Maxim and Mikhail, wrote the sb.by resource. And what names are now at the peak of popularity?

In the 1970s girls were called Lyudmila, Tamara,In the 1990s, these names disappeared

— Names should rest, — says Yulia Galkovskaya, Associate Professor of the Department of English Philology of the Voronezh State University and author of the study «Namebook of the Belarusian Borderlands: Territorial Differentiation». — In the «seventies» girls were called Lyudmila, Tamara, Natalya. In the «nineties» these names almost disappeared. And now they have “rested” and are again perceived as unusual and original.

At the same time, rather rare names are becoming more and more popular. So in 2020, girls with unusual names were registered in Minsk: Assol, Venera, Lelya, Rogneda, Zinaida, Matilda, Praskovya, Irma, Dina, Valentina. The boys’ parents were also original: Fadey, Oskar, Dobromir, Yves, Vitovt, Bruce, Arnold, Henry, Yeremey, Zachary, Taras, Moses, Eldar and others appeared.

Not only parents from the capital show their imagination, but moms and dads from the regions. Back in 2020, girls with the names Mercedes, Germanika, Aysel, Veselina, Zlatoslavia, Seine, Thekla, Alice, Juno, Yadviga were registered in Belarus. And the boys: Gerald, Filat, Solomon, Tamerlane, Tadeusz, Foma, Martin, Leonty.

— For the last twenty years in Belarus, girls were most often called Nastya, Dasha and Masha, and boys — Maxims, Artems and Nikitas, — the specialist explained.

Parents watch unusual names in TV shows

Where do unusual names come from? Parents «peep» them in books, films and TV shows and take them from history. For example, the princely Belarusian names Vitovt and Rogneda returned to use. And after the Russian series «Method» there was a new «boom» for Yesenia.

Sometimes the name in the passport can be changed with the name given at baptism. Photo: pixabay.com.

— Children’s names are different in the west and north-east of Belarus. In the western border regions, the strong influence of the Catholic church calendar and national tradition is noticeable. There are more rare names that are typical for Poles, Latvians and Lithuanians: Kazimir, Cheslav, Vatslav, Tadeusz, Aleuza, Zofia, Ludwika, Khan, Elzbieta, Malgorzata, — Galkovskaya specified.

There are also “eternal” names that remain despite fashion trends: this is the male name Alexander, and the female ones are Anna, Maria and Anastasia.

From Irina to Aria, from Anastasia to Mercury

At the same time, you can almost always change the name that your parents gave you, if you have not become related to it over the past years. The Ministry of Justice said that in 2020 in Belarus, women changed their name from Anastasia to Vasilisa, from Olga to Efrosinya, from Irina to Aria, from Olga to Volya, from Efrosinya to Franca, from Nadezhda to Nadia, from Anastasia to Mercury. Often the cause is a creative pseudonym or nickname in social networks, they are replaced by the name given at birth.

— It happens that people change their name to given at baptism. For example, in Minsk one of Olga is now Leah. Sometimes the name changes from Russian to Belarusian: Anatoly became Anatole, Dmitry — Zmitr, Olga — Volya, Anastasia — Nastassey, — explained Yulia Vinogradova, head of the registry office of the Pervomaisky district.

There are those who simplify their names Rita instead of Margarita, Mara instead of Maria, Zhenya instead of Eugene, Dana instead of Danuta, and so on.

The new name can be a creative pseudonym or nickname in social networks. Photo: pixabay.com.

When can you change your name and when can’t you?

The average age of those who wish to change their passport data is about 39 — 42 years old. However, it happens that pensioners come with such statements. Often this is done by teenagers after the execution of the 16th birthday.

In Belarus, people can refuse to change their name due to the lack of a good reason, insufficient motivational explanation. Or if a person is in the status of a suspect or accused, has an outstanding and unexpunged conviction.

READ ALSO:

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We have grown by 24 boys and 29 girls (details).

By 2100, the population of Belarus will decrease to 4 million people. This and 10 more scientific facts about Belarusians.

What do statistical studies and scientific analyzes say about Belarus and the people of our country? (details).

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