Decade hub

1970s baby names

A name can be popular in the 1970s without belonging to the 1970s. This hub separates the two: the biggest names of the decade, and the names whose recorded history is concentrated inside it.

The long tail opens up

The 1970s contain 31,968,373 births in the Social Security national data: 15,452,212 girls and 16,516,161 boys, across 31,789 distinct recorded names. Jennifer was the girls' champion with 581,729 births, while Michael led the boys with 707,327.

Among these four decades, the 1970s have the broadest recorded roster and the lowest concentration by top-share measures. The top ten name-and-sex combinations accounted for 14.15% of births and the top 100 for 48.85%; the diversity score was 65.56 out of 100, with 894.61 effective names. Less than half of the decade's births sit inside the top 100, a materially wider spread than the 1940s' 58.43%.

Ownership makes the decade's contrasts especially visible. Katina led the girls' ownership ranking with only 7,888 births, 69.77% of her recorded lifetime in the decade, popularity rank 315, and ownership score 79.50. Jason led the boys' ownership ranking with 462,709 births, 43.98% of his lifetime in the decade, popularity rank 3, and ownership score 93.88; one is a narrowly era-shaped name and the other is both prominent and strongly concentrated in the decade.

The representative 1974 classroom has fourteen girls' seats and sixteen boys' seats. It contains 30 unique names, zero repeated names, and a 3.33% top seat share; Amy is the deterministic one-seat tie-break for most repeated. The roster's variety is consistent with the decade's lower top-100 share, while remaining a fixed reconstruction rather than a survey of an actual classroom.

The strongest reviewed spelling family is Brian: Brian and Bryan combine for 393,998 births (322,660 and 71,338). Jeffrey and Jeffery form a narrower 247,415-birth pair, while Sean, Shawn, and Shaun form a three-spelling family with 208,926 births. Geoffrey remains outside the Jeffrey grouping as a distinct traditional name.

These figures come from SSA national records for 1970 through 1979 and inherit the source's suppression of name-year counts below five and its sex-at-birth classification rather than a gender measure. They cannot tell us why a name rose, fell, or clustered, and they do not measure every naming practice or identity. Ownership and diversity are descriptive statistics under a stated method, not causal explanations of the cultural history of the 1970s.

Girls' popularity champion
Jennifer 581,729 births
Boys' popularity champion
Michael 707,327 births
Total recorded births
31,968,373
Female births
15,452,212
Male births
16,516,161
Distinct recorded names
31,789
Top-10 birth share
14.1%
Top-100 birth share
48.8%
Diversity score
65.6of 100 · 895 effective names
Concentration score
0.4of 100

Methodology: how every number on this page is computed

Decade ownership

Popularity measures size. Ownership measures identity. Some names remain popular for generations. Others overwhelmingly belong to one decade. The ownership score ranks names by how concentrated their recorded history is inside 1970–1979, weighted against how visible they actually were — adjusted so that rare names cannot win on a technicality.

It is a descriptive statistic about SSA birth records, not a verdict about culture. Read the full methodology.

Girls, ranked by ownership

The 25 highest ownership scores in the female eligible set.

Girls, ranked by ownership — 1970s decade ownership rankings
Rank Name Ownership score 1970s births Lifetime births Decade share of lifetime Peak year Status
1 Katina 79.5 7,888 11,306 69.8% 1972 declining
2 Jennifer 76.7 581,729 1,471,703 39.5% 1972 endangered
3 Misty 75.5 42,375 84,654 50.1% 1977 endangered
4 Tonya 74.9 57,789 120,421 48.0% 1972 endangered
5 Catina 74.0 3,587 4,178 85.9% 1972 extinct
6 Tricia 71.8 20,520 40,134 51.1% 1971 endangered
7 Amy 71.5 268,994 701,631 38.3% 1975 endangered
8 Heather 70.7 203,902 525,910 38.8% 1975 endangered
9 Christy 70.3 44,592 98,576 45.2% 1975 endangered
10 Stacy 69.8 69,901 164,011 42.6% 1971 endangered
11 Tamika 68.5 11,905 22,760 52.3% 1975 declining
12 Shannon 67.4 113,793 295,782 38.5% 1970 endangered
13 Jaime 66.4 22,774 50,067 45.5% 1976 endangered
14 Tracy 66.0 95,536 251,393 38.0% 1970 endangered
15 Stacey 65.9 59,210 147,750 40.1% 1971 endangered
16 Tanya 65.7 47,830 116,855 40.9% 1974 endangered
17 Latonya 65.6 10,911 21,757 50.1% 1974 declining
18 Melissa 65.3 253,267 760,128 33.3% 1979 endangered
19 Angela 64.9 225,262 673,257 33.5% 1971 endangered
20 Stacie 64.8 17,832 39,119 45.6% 1971 endangered
21 Kristie 64.3 17,366 38,361 45.3% 1974 endangered
22 Tara 62.8 65,072 175,812 37.0% 1972 endangered
23 Michelle 61.8 249,130 816,510 30.5% 1969 endangered
24 Lakisha 61.8 6,412 12,310 52.1% 1977 declining
25 Brandy 60.9 40,070 106,559 37.6% 1981 endangered

Boys, ranked by ownership

The 25 highest ownership scores in the male eligible set.

Boys, ranked by ownership — 1970s decade ownership rankings
Rank Name Ownership score 1970s births Lifetime births Decade share of lifetime Peak year Status
1 Jason 93.9 462,709 1,052,030 44.0% 1977 endangered
2 Chad 92.3 113,534 240,728 47.2% 1972 endangered
3 Shannon 83.7 24,649 52,379 47.1% 1972 endangered
4 Jamie 77.4 36,296 88,654 40.9% 1976 rising
5 Shawn 73.2 105,790 306,542 34.5% 1971 endangered
6 Jeremy 69.5 139,307 446,425 31.2% 1977 endangered
7 Brian 67.6 322,660 1,173,735 27.5% 1972 endangered
8 Jamey 66.6 3,422 6,755 50.7% 1976 endangered
9 Chadwick 66.0 5,709 13,276 43.0% 1975 endangered
10 Todd 64.7 83,319 282,330 29.5% 1964 endangered
11 Jody 64.0 11,479 31,562 36.4% 1971 endangered
12 Heath 63.9 10,814 29,523 36.6% 1974 stable
13 Shad 63.8 2,582 4,831 53.4% 1971 endangered
14 Christopher 62.5 475,423 2,069,596 23.0% 1984 endangered
15 Scott 61.8 194,520 774,997 25.1% 1971 endangered
16 Eric 60.2 211,481 888,891 23.8% 1970 endangered
17 Jermaine 59.4 13,527 42,027 32.2% 1973 endangered
18 Shane 57.4 50,279 192,583 26.1% 1973 endangered
19 Damon 57.3 20,052 68,841 29.1% 1976 stable
20 Stacy 55.8 7,259 22,257 32.6% 1968 endangered
21 Jeffrey 55.4 202,850 979,601 20.7% 1962 endangered
22 Brad 55.3 22,617 83,060 27.2% 1960 endangered
23 Demond 55.0 2,493 5,857 42.6% 1974 endangered
24 Darrick 55.0 3,165 8,130 38.9% 1971 endangered
25 Shaun 54.7 19,317 70,481 27.4% 1978 endangered

Most owned by the 1970s

Top 25 by ownership score across both sexes; each row is tagged with its sex comparison set.

Most owned by the 1970s — 1970s decade ownership rankings
Rank Name Sex Ownership score 1970s births Lifetime births Decade share of lifetime Peak year Status
1 Jason M 93.9 462,709 1,052,030 44.0% 1977 endangered
2 Chad M 92.3 113,534 240,728 47.2% 1972 endangered
3 Shannon M 83.7 24,649 52,379 47.1% 1972 endangered
1 Katina F 79.5 7,888 11,306 69.8% 1972 declining
4 Jamie M 77.4 36,296 88,654 40.9% 1976 rising
2 Jennifer F 76.7 581,729 1,471,703 39.5% 1972 endangered
3 Misty F 75.5 42,375 84,654 50.1% 1977 endangered
4 Tonya F 74.9 57,789 120,421 48.0% 1972 endangered
5 Catina F 74.0 3,587 4,178 85.9% 1972 extinct
5 Shawn M 73.2 105,790 306,542 34.5% 1971 endangered
6 Tricia F 71.8 20,520 40,134 51.1% 1971 endangered
7 Amy F 71.5 268,994 701,631 38.3% 1975 endangered
8 Heather F 70.7 203,902 525,910 38.8% 1975 endangered
9 Christy F 70.3 44,592 98,576 45.2% 1975 endangered
10 Stacy F 69.8 69,901 164,011 42.6% 1971 endangered
6 Jeremy M 69.5 139,307 446,425 31.2% 1977 endangered
11 Tamika F 68.5 11,905 22,760 52.3% 1975 declining
7 Brian M 67.6 322,660 1,173,735 27.5% 1972 endangered
12 Shannon F 67.4 113,793 295,782 38.5% 1970 endangered
8 Jamey M 66.6 3,422 6,755 50.7% 1976 endangered
13 Jaime F 66.4 22,774 50,067 45.5% 1976 endangered
9 Chadwick M 66.0 5,709 13,276 43.0% 1975 endangered
14 Tracy F 66.0 95,536 251,393 38.0% 1970 endangered
15 Stacey F 65.9 59,210 147,750 40.1% 1971 endangered
16 Tanya F 65.7 47,830 116,855 40.9% 1974 endangered

Popular but timeless

1970s births at or above the median of the pooled eligible set (both sexes) and adjusted concentration at or below its 25th percentile: big names whose recorded history spans many decades.

Popular but timeless — 1970s decade ownership rankings
Rank Name Sex Ownership score 1970s births Lifetime births Decade share of lifetime Peak year Status
422 Mary F 25.8 126,254 4,141,481 3.0% 1921 endangered
413 Patricia F 26.2 81,111 1,573,623 5.2% 1951 endangered
328 George M 26.0 64,757 1,487,297 4.4% 1921 stable
336 Frank M 25.8 46,917 915,978 5.1% 1918 endangered
483 Emily F 23.7 46,839 896,487 5.2% 1999 declining
545 Linda F 21.1 45,900 1,455,143 3.2% 1947 endangered
561 Barbara F 20.5 42,237 1,436,695 2.9% 1947 endangered
527 Nancy F 21.9 41,850 1,004,448 4.2% 1947 endangered
539 Anna F 21.4 37,813 914,859 4.1% 1918 declining
442 Jacob M 22.6 36,351 988,227 3.7% 1998 declining
610 Margaret F 18.7 31,947 1,264,774 2.5% 1921 endangered
548 Samantha F 21.0 28,906 592,847 4.9% 1990 endangered
555 Carolyn F 20.7 27,046 556,777 4.9% 1947 endangered
467 Walter M 21.7 25,726 631,172 4.1% 1918 stable
565 Diane F 20.4 25,323 518,651 4.9% 1955 endangered
495 Alexander M 20.6 24,932 736,123 3.4% 1993 declining
581 Janet F 19.6 24,454 556,776 4.4% 1954 endangered
416 Willie M 23.3 23,966 450,188 5.3% 1947 endangered
525 Henry M 19.8 23,511 768,945 3.1% 2025 stable
638 Carol F 17.6 23,477 816,928 2.9% 1946 endangered
576 Julia F 20.1 23,414 476,250 4.9% 2001 stable
468 Albert M 21.7 22,112 491,861 4.5% 1921 endangered
481 Arthur M 21.0 22,100 548,729 4.0% 1921 rising
589 Lauren F 19.3 21,827 475,577 4.6% 1989 endangered
663 Ashley F 16.6 21,053 859,857 2.4% 1987 endangered

Unexpected results

Names whose popularity rank exceeds their ownership rank by 20 or more within their sex set — popular, but far less tied to the 1970s than their size suggests.

Unexpected results — 1970s decade ownership rankings
Rank Name Sex Ownership score 1970s births Lifetime births Decade share of lifetime Peak year Status
165 Latarsha F 40.6 1,257 1,975 63.6% 1976 extinct
143 Rahsaan M 36.3 736 1,614 45.6% 1973 declining
196 Tamica F 38.0 1,220 2,139 57.0% 1976 extinct
102 Shanon M 39.8 847 1,732 48.9% 1975 declining
173 Mendy F 40.1 1,297 2,160 60.0% 1974 extinct
119 Dedric M 37.8 825 1,863 44.3% 1977 declining
151 Amy M 35.7 771 1,853 41.6% 1976 declining
225 Latrina F 36.3 1,208 2,319 52.1% 1974 extinct
168 Taurus M 35.0 780 1,991 39.2% 1976 stable
192 Che M 33.0 750 2,105 35.6% 1974 stable
177 Angela M 33.6 771 2,135 36.1% 1971 extinct
222 Damond M 30.9 702 2,143 32.8% 1974 declining
252 Takisha F 34.5 1,082 2,058 52.6% 1977 extinct
241 Shawnda F 35.3 1,231 2,538 48.5% 1975 extinct
75 Tarsha F 50.0 1,716 2,375 72.3% 1974 extinct
184 Jereme M 33.4 782 2,226 35.1% 1980 declining
170 Anjanette F 40.4 1,424 2,563 55.6% 1971 declining
242 Keesha F 35.2 1,269 2,713 46.8% 1977 stable
193 Brandy M 32.9 783 2,302 34.0% 1975 declining
106 Germaine M 39.3 972 2,364 41.1% 1972 declining
75 Kenya M 44.3 1,060 2,141 49.5% 1973 declining
178 Chadrick M 33.6 823 2,416 34.1% 1976 stable
253 Shawanda F 34.5 1,279 2,853 44.8% 1977 extinct
87 Jammie M 41.7 1,058 2,440 43.4% 1975 declining
155 Melissa M 35.6 894 2,495 35.8% 1980 extinct

The 1974 classroom

Apportion 30 seats from the actual 1974 national birth records and every seat carries a different name — no name was common enough in 1974 to guarantee a duplicate in a class of 30.

A statistical reconstruction of an average classroom, not an actual class record.

See the full 30-student roster

Spelling families

Conventional rankings separate spelling variants. This view groups manually reviewed variants to show their combined demographic footprint.

  • Brian family 393,998 births across 2 spellings — combined #8
  • Michelle family 305,690 births across 2 spellings — combined #2
  • Steven family 295,882 births across 2 spellings — combined #9
  • Jeffrey family 247,415 births across 2 spellings — combined #11
  • Eric family 243,575 births across 2 spellings — combined #13
  • Sean family 208,926 births across 3 spellings — combined #15

Explore all 6 spelling families

How these numbers are made

Every figure on this page is computed offline from SSA birth records with methodology decade-hub/v1.0.0, then served as a precomputed profile. Nothing is recalculated in your browser.

Read the methodology

Data coverage
Decade 1970–1979; lifetime data through 2025
Completeness
Complete decade
Methodology version
decade-hub/v1.0.0
Source version
ssa-national-2025
Generated
2026-08-14T03:32:54.323Z