The list of most popular baby names four decades ago has almost nothing in common with the most popular names today.
Baby names often fall in and out of popularity in cycles. While there will always be unique baby names, some of the names that used to be popular have fast fallen out of fashion – bird-inspired names could be popular this year, instead!
And, when we look at the most popular baby names of 1980 and compare them to the biggest names today, it becomes apparent just how different things are.
Last month, after the Alberta government in Canada released a list of the baby names given last year, CBC Calgary compared them to the most popular 1980s monikers – and there aren’t a whole lot of similarities.
Olivia was the most common name for newborn girls in the province last year, with 210 girls being given the name. In comparison, just 11 girls had the name Olivia in 1980. It’s a similar story with second-placed Amelia, too, with 2023 having 145 Amelias compared to 1980’s six. And, no babies in 1980 were named Isla or Violet, while 120 and 101 babies born in 2023 were given these respective names.
On the other side of the coin, however, a whopping 705 babies were called Jennifer in 1980, compared to just nine last year. There were 551 Amandas in 1980, but just 14 in 2023.
As author Jonah Berger told the National Post, a name that becomes too popular can lose its appeal: “Parents don’t want something that sounds exactly like every other name. If they have 10 friends who have named their kids Jennifer, they’re not going to pick the name Jennifer.”
Perhaps, if Olivia and Amelia fall out of fashion in a few years, names like Jennifer and Amanda could gradually begin to become more popular – particularly as the previous generation with these names become grandparents.
Top girl names of 1980, and how many there were that year versus last year:
- Jennifer 705 then; 9 last year
- Amanda 551; 14
- Melissa 316; 15
- Lisa 290; 6
- Sarah 284; 46
- Michelle 281; 8
- Nicole 252; 18
- Erin 249; 2
- Angela 215; 5
- Heather 191; 2
The top baby girl names of last year, compared to 1980
- Olivia 210; 11
- Amelia 145; 6
- Sophia 138; 6
- Charlotte 135; 12
- Emma 133; 9
- Isla 120; 0
- Evelyn 114; 5
- Chloe 101; 1
- Violet 101; 0
- Ava 99; 3
- Emily 99; 44
Top boy names of 1980, and how many there were that year versus last year:
- Michael 732 then; 71 last year
- Christopher 633; 17
- David 537; 77
- Jason 526; 23
- Ryan 511; 63
- Robert 363; 22
- James 360; 136
- Matthew 336; 65
- Daniel 311; 111
- Kevin 305; 17
The top baby boy names of last year, compared to 1980
- Noah 276 last year, 3 back then
- Liam 181; 8
- Oliver 178; 8
- Theodore 173; 7
- Jack 153; 7
- Henry 146; 12
- Lucas 140; 21
- Benjamin 137; 130
- James 136; 360
- William 133; 163
Trying to find the right baby name? Take a look at our baby name generator, or try out this Tinder for baby names app. Why not sift through these Bluey baby names, or some Taylor Swift-inspired names?
