These Were The Most Popular Baby Names In 1971

The Social Security Administration has baby name data going back to the 1800s.
Some of the top baby names from 1971 remain popular today, while others have fallen off the map.
Tom Gautier Photography via Getty Images
Some of the top baby names from 1971 remain popular today, while others have fallen off the map.

The most popular baby names list doesn’t change too dramatically from year to year, but there are always interesting trends over longer periods of time.

The Social Security Administration has a database with lists of the top baby names for newborns in the U.S. every year going back to the 1880s. We took a look at the most popular names 50 years ago to see how parents’ choices half a century ago compare to the top picks today.

While many of the names are classics that remain popular in 2021 (think William, Michael, Elizabeth), others don’t appear on quite as many birth certificates these days (shoutout to Craig, Tonya and Tammy). But it doesn’t mean they couldn’t be ripe for a comeback.

Below, find the 50 most popular baby names for boys and girls born in 1971.

Girls

  1. Jennifer
  2. Michelle
  3. Lisa
  4. Kimberly
  5. Amy
  6. Angela
  7. Melissa
  8. Tammy
  9. Mary
  10. Julie
  11. Stephanie
  12. Heather
  13. Tracy
  14. Dawn
  15. Karen
  16. Laura
  17. Susan
  18. Christine
  19. Elizabeth
  20. Tina
  21. Shannon
  22. Kelly
  23. Rebecca
  24. Cynthia
  25. Lori
  26. Patricia
  27. Nicole
  28. Pamela
  29. Wendy
  30. Christina
  31. Sandra
  32. Stacy
  33. Deborah
  34. Teresa
  35. Andrea
  36. Denise
  37. Maria
  38. Donna
  39. Michele
  40. Sharon
  41. Stacey
  42. Linda
  43. Brenda
  44. Dana
  45. Tonya
  46. Rhonda
  47. Barbara
  48. Monica
  49. Tara
  50. Cheryl

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. James
  3. David
  4. John
  5. Robert
  6. Christopher
  7. William
  8. Jason
  9. Brian
  10. Scott
  11. Richard
  12. Jeffrey
  13. Mark
  14. Kevin
  15. Joseph
  16. Steven
  17. Thomas
  18. Eric
  19. Matthew
  20. Daniel
  21. Timothy
  22. Charles
  23. Anthony
  24. Paul
  25. Gregory
  26. Kenneth
  27. Stephen
  28. Shawn
  29. Chad
  30. Todd
  31. Ronald
  32. Edward
  33. Andrew
  34. Donald
  35. Patrick
  36. Sean
  37. Keith
  38. Gary
  39. Douglas
  40. Jonathan
  41. Aaron
  42. George
  43. Craig
  44. Larry
  45. Jeremy
  46. Troy
  47. Peter
  48. Bryan
  49. Dennis
  50. Jerry

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