Many of the top baby names don’t change much from year to year, but if you look back at the Social Security Administration’s recording over the past 140 years, you will see changes as names move in and out of fashion. But how about if you look back at the top baby names from 50 years ago? How different is that list for babies born in your parent’s generation?
If you’re looking for a “classic” name that is less common nowadays, this is the place to look. If you limit your options to what you hear from friends, you’ll get the same names as everyone else. That’s fine if you absolutely love Mary and John, but not if you’re looking for something that will stick out, at least a bit among your baby’s age group.
You can see the most popular names for any year since 1879 on the Social Security Administration website.
Some names are evergreen like Lisa, Jennifer and Mary. Others may seem odd or dated through the lens of the new millenium, though not as much as when we looked back to the most popular baby names from 50 years ago. There you’ll find decidely old-fashioned names like Gertrude and Bertha.
Top baby names from 50 years ago per the Social Security Administration
Girls:
- Lisa
- Michelle
- Jennifer
- Kimberly
- Melissa
- Amy
- Angela
- Mary
- Tammy
- Laura
- Susan
- Julie
- Karen
- Christine
- Kelly
- Elizabeth
- Tracy
- Patricia
- Stephanie
- Lori
- Dawn
- Tina
- Cynthia
- Pamela
- Sandra
- Donna
- Deborah
- Rebecca
- Wendy
- Michele
- Shannon
- Teresa
- Linda
- Heather
- Denise
- Sharon
- Christina
- Brenda
- Barbara
- Maria
- Cheryl
- Kathleen
- Debra
- Rhonda
- Nancy
- Robin
- Nicole
- Andrea
- Theresa
- Paula
Boys:
- Michael
- David
- James
- John
- Robert
- William
- Christopher
- Mark
- Brian
- Richard
- Jeffrey
- Scott
- Thomas
- Steven
- Joseph
- Kevin
- Timothy
- Daniel
- Charles
- Anthony
- Eric
- Paul
- Kenneth
- Matthew
- Jason
- Gregory
- Stephen
- Todd
- Ronald
- Donald
- Patrick
- Edward
- Andrew
- Douglas
- Gary
- Keith
- Sean
- George
- Craig
- Larry
- Shawn
- Troy
- Peter
- Dennis
- Jerry
- Jonathan
- Frank
- Jeffery
- Rodney
- Raymond