Top 100 Baby Names for the 1980s

Last Updated on September 21, 2019

What do leg warmers, parachute pants and the end of the Soviet Union have in common? The 1980s!

The Bible, the Cold War, and boy bands that had better hair than girl bands were the perfect inspiration for a host of 1980s baby names. Do any of these top 100 sound familiar?

1980s Boy Names

Michael has been a top boy name for over a century. But as parents sought to honor the political heroes working to end to the Cold War — Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and President Ronald Reagan — its appeal only grew.

Popular names from the 1980s also expressed a love of places far and wide. Ireland gave us “Sean,” “Adam” and Kevin while British royalty inspired classics like “William” and “Charles.”

Biblical names continued to be fashionable, but trends shifted from kingly figures like David and Joseph to humble characters, including Daniel, Joshua, and Jacob.

Most Popular Boys Names from 1980s

1. Michael
2. Christopher
3. Matthew
4. Joshua
5. David
6. James
7. Daniel
8. Robert
9. John
10. Joseph
11. Jason
12. Justin
13. Andrew
14. Ryan
15. William
16. Brian
17. Brandon
18. Jonathan
19. Nicholas
20. Anthony
21. Eric
22. Adam
23. Kevin
24. Thomas
25. Steven
26. Timothy
27. Richard
28. Jeremy
29. Jeffrey
30. Kyle
31. Benjamin
32. Aaron
33. Charles
34. Mark
35. Jacob
36. Stephen
37. Patrick
38. Scott
39. Nathan
40. Paul
41. Sean
42. Travis
43. Zachary
44. Dustin
45. Gregory
46. Kenneth
47. Jose
48. Tyler
49. Jesse
50. Alexander
51. Bryan
52. Samuel
53. Derek
54. Bradley
55. Chad
56. Shawn
57. Edward
58. Jared
59. Cody
60. Jordan
61. Peter
62. Corey
63. Keith
64. Marcus
65. Juan
66. Donald
67. Ronald
68. Phillip
69. George
70. Cory
71. Joel
72. Shane
73. Douglas
74. Antonio
75. Raymond
76. Carlos
77. Brett
78. Gary
79. Alex
80. Nathaniel
81. Craig
82. Ian
83. Luis
84. Derrick
85. Erik
86. Casey
87. Philip
88. Frank
89. Evan
90. Gabriel
91. Victor
92. Vincent
93. Larry
94. Brent
95. Austin
96. Seth
97. Wesley
98. Dennis
99. Todd
100. Christian

1980s Girl Names

Biblical girl names were also a hit — Sarah and Rachel gained in popularity. But the British royal family couldn’t be ignored.

“Elizabeth” flew to the top of the list of regal names from the 80s while a young new princess named made a splash in the United States. “Diana” rose from its number 97 spot in the 1970s to a cool 75.

But despite the continued popularity of classic names, baby names from the 80s trended toward the fun and romantic. Monikers like “Tara,” ”Brandi” and “Misty” had pop vibes, while “Kayla” entered the top 100 for the first time in homage to the romance of the decade on NBC’s daytime soap — Days of our Lives.

Enchanting names from afar were among the foremost choices for girls. “Heather,” a flowering evergreen from the barren lands of Scotland and “Kimberly,” meaning from the wood of the royal forest were favorites.

Other trends in 1980s names were girl-versions of boy names like Danielle, Samantha and Jamie, and Old English boy names for girls including Ashley and Lindsay.

Most Popular Girls Names from 1980s

1. Jessica
2. Jennifer
3. Amanda
4. Ashley
5. Sarah
6. Stephanie
7. Melissa
8. Nicole
9. Elizabeth
10. Heather
11. Tiffany
12. Michelle
13. Amber
14. Megan
15. Amy
16. Rachel
17. Kimberly
18. Christina
19. Lauren
20. Crystal
21. Brittany
22. Rebecca
23. Laura
24. Danielle
25. Emily
26. Samantha
27. Angela
28. Erin
29. Kelly
30. Sara
31. Lisa
32. Katherine
33. Andrea
34. Jamie
35. Mary
36. Erica
37. Courtney
38. Kristen
39. Shannon
40. April
41. Katie
42. Lindsey
43. Kristin
44. Lindsay
45. Christine
46. Alicia
47. Vanessa
48. Maria
49. Kathryn
50. Allison
51. Julie
52. Anna
53. Tara
54. Kayla
55. Natalie
56. Victoria
57. Monica
58. Jacqueline
59. Holly
60. Kristina
61. Patricia
62. Cassandra
63. Brandy
64. Whitney
65. Chelsea
66. Brandi
67. Catherine
68. Cynthia
69. Kathleen
70. Veronica
71. Leslie
72. Natasha
73. Krystal
74. Stacy
75. Diana
76. Dana
77. Erika
78. Jenna
79. Meghan
80. Carrie
81. Leah
82. Melanie
83. Brooke
84. Karen
85. Alexandra
86. Valerie
87. Caitlin
88. Julia
89. Alyssa
90. Jasmine
91. Hannah
92. Stacey
93. Brittney
94. Susan
95. Margaret
96. Sandra
97. Candice
98. Latoya
99. Bethany
100. Misty

Does a baby name always have to have a classical meaning to reflect a child’s one-of-a-kind personality? Maybe not.

Why the name “Jessica,” topped the list of the 80s most popular girls name is a mystery — cultural inspirations are absent. And the most popular name for boys, “Michael,” could reflect Christian tradition or a fascination with the “King of Pop.”

Names with meaning matter, but ultimately, it’s what they mean to you.