Most Popular Baby Names of 1977

In 1977, the most popular baby names in the United States were Jennifer for girls and Michael for boys. Jennifer was given to 58,964 girls and Michael to 67,587 boys, according to Social Security card applications.

Across all names, the Social Security Administration recorded 3,176,366 births for names given to at least five babies that year, up from 3,034,106 in 1976. The tables below show the top 100 names for each sex with their rank change from the year before, followed by the biggest movers in the top 1,000.

New to the top 100 this year: Sabrina, Kristy, Vanessa, Beth, Diana, and Wesley.

← 1976 1978 →The 1970s Download top 1,000 (CSV)

Top 100 baby names of 1977

Girls

Girls
#	Name	Babies	Change
1	Jennifer	58,964	–
2	Melissa	26,879	↑ 1
3	Amy	26,729	↓ 1
4	Jessica	24,846	↑ 4
5	Heather	23,773	↓ 1
6	Angela	20,998	↓ 1
7	Michelle	19,540	↓ 1
8	Kimberly	18,286	↓ 1
9	Amanda	18,278	↑ 1
10	Kelly	18,234	↑ 9
11	Sarah	18,096	↑ 4
12	Lisa	17,014	↓ 3
13	Elizabeth	16,431	↑ 3
14	Stephanie	15,417	↓ 3
15	Nicole	15,247	↓ 2
16	Christina	14,501	↓ 2
17	Rebecca	14,196	↓ 5
18	Jamie	12,895	–
19	Shannon	12,518	↓ 2
20	Laura	11,318	–
21	Mary	10,656	↑ 1
22	Julie	10,204	↓ 1
23	Erin	10,198	↑ 1
24	Andrea	9,782	↑ 1
25	Crystal	9,724	↑ 11
26	Rachel	8,976	↓ 3
27	Sara	8,709	–
28	Carrie	8,661	–
29	April	8,068	↑ 1
30	Christine	7,886	↓ 4
31	Danielle	7,616	↑ 2
32	Karen	7,441	↓ 1
33	Amber	7,207	↑ 16
34	Tiffany	7,205	↓ 2
35	Tara	7,198	↑ 7
36	Maria	7,094	↓ 2
37	Emily	6,879	↑ 13
38	Erica	6,624	↑ 16
39	Monica	6,366	↑ 6
40	Misty	6,315	↑ 6
41	Jill	6,238	↑ 11
42	Stacy	6,154	↓ 4
43	Dawn	6,096	↓ 8
44	Katherine	6,030	↑ 13
45	Susan	5,961	↓ 5
46	Jaime	5,906	↓ 17
47	Patricia	5,903	↓ 4
48	Cynthia	5,782	↓ 4
49	Wendy	5,764	↓ 10
50	Tracy	5,756	↓ 13
51	Brandy	5,477	↑ 4
52	Holly	5,463	↑ 4
53	Melanie	5,373	–
54	Megan	5,320	↑ 8
55	Tammy	5,310	↓ 14
56	Stacey	5,206	↓ 5
57	Lori	5,072	↓ 10
58	Tina	4,951	↓ 10
59	Christy	4,602	↑ 1
60	Alicia	4,400	↑ 11
61	Sandra	4,373	↓ 2
62	Dana	4,339	↑ 2
63	Sabrina	4,305	↑ 83
64	Tonya	4,263	↓ 6
65	Leslie	4,250	–
66	Allison	4,205	↑ 1
67	Tanya	4,085	↓ 6
68	Kristy	4,045	↑ 45
69	Natalie	4,043	↑ 11
70	Kathryn	3,964	↑ 18
71	Brandi	3,885	↑ 8
72	Kristen	3,861	↑ 1
73	Veronica	3,853	↓ 5
74	Anna	3,851	↑ 4
75	Catherine	3,840	↓ 3
76	Courtney	3,808	–
77	Michele	3,711	↓ 14
78	Denise	3,681	↓ 9
79	Teresa	3,654	↓ 13
80	Kathleen	3,649	↑ 2
81	Heidi	3,640	↓ 11
82	Kristin	3,605	↓ 8
83	Kristina	3,539	↑ 14
84	Robin	3,428	↓ 9
85	Samantha	3,284	–
86	Valerie	3,266	↓ 3
87	Renee	3,259	↓ 1
88	Gina	3,231	↑ 6
89	Nancy	3,222	↓ 2
90	Vanessa	3,209	↑ 16
91	Brenda	3,151	↓ 14
92	Jacqueline	3,148	↑ 7
93	Tamara	3,126	↓ 2
94	Mandy	3,100	↑ 6
95	Sharon	3,089	↓ 14
96	Melinda	3,044	↓ 1
97	Beth	2,967	↑ 17
98	Theresa	2,914	↓ 9
99	Linda	2,912	↓ 9
100	Diana	2,846	↑ 1

Boys

Boys
#	Name	Babies	Change
1	Michael	67,587	–
2	Jason	55,631	–
3	Christopher	46,721	–
4	David	40,515	–
5	James	40,040	–
6	Robert	34,214	↑ 1
7	John	34,195	↓ 1
8	Brian	32,492	–
9	Matthew	31,965	–
10	Joseph	26,483	↑ 2
11	Daniel	26,073	↓ 1
12	William	24,758	↓ 1
13	Kevin	22,463	↑ 2
14	Joshua	22,068	↑ 4
15	Jeremy	21,610	↓ 1
16	Ryan	21,246	–
17	Eric	20,745	↓ 4
18	Timothy	17,977	↑ 3
19	Jeffrey	17,481	↓ 2
20	Richard	17,442	↓ 1
21	Anthony	16,804	↑ 1
22	Thomas	16,586	↑ 1
23	Steven	16,484	↓ 3
24	Andrew	16,017	↑ 3
25	Mark	15,418	–
26	Charles	14,743	–
27	Scott	14,203	↓ 3
28	Jonathan	12,319	↑ 3
29	Benjamin	12,106	↑ 3
30	Justin	12,008	↑ 3
31	Paul	11,798	↓ 3
32	Aaron	11,631	↓ 2
33	Adam	11,030	↑ 3
34	Chad	10,831	↓ 5
35	Gregory	10,052	–
36	Nathan	9,886	↑ 3
37	Shawn	9,865	↓ 3
38	Stephen	9,635	↓ 1
39	Kenneth	9,452	↓ 1
40	Patrick	8,305	↑ 1
41	Brandon	8,272	↓ 1
42	Bryan	7,886	↑ 1
43	Sean	7,625	↓ 1
44	Travis	7,277	↑ 2
45	Jose	6,919	↓ 1
46	Donald	6,866	↑ 1
47	Edward	6,840	↓ 2
48	Keith	6,597	–
49	Bradley	6,431	↑ 2
50	Todd	6,276	–
51	Nicholas	6,071	↑ 26
52	Corey	6,041	↑ 12
53	Ronald	6,026	↓ 4
54	Jesse	5,823	↑ 1
55	Peter	5,821	↓ 1
56	Jacob	5,788	↑ 7
57	George	5,606	↓ 4
58	Gary	5,447	↓ 6
59	Douglas	5,297	↓ 3
60	Samuel	5,257	↓ 1
61	Shane	4,868	↓ 4
62	Larry	4,837	↓ 2
63	Juan	4,562	↓ 5
64	Craig	4,560	↓ 3
65	Raymond	4,372	–
66	Wesley	4,302	↑ 53
67	Cory	4,259	↑ 16
68	Dennis	4,152	↓ 2
69	Jeremiah	4,151	↑ 24
70	Phillip	3,967	↓ 1
71	Frank	3,894	↓ 3
72	Marcus	3,846	↑ 2
73	Joel	3,824	↓ 1
74	Carlos	3,795	↓ 4
75	Jerry	3,745	↓ 8
76	Jared	3,738	↑ 14
77	Antonio	3,662	↓ 6
78	Jeffery	3,564	↓ 2
79	Kyle	3,505	↑ 1
80	Derrick	3,481	↑ 11
81	Dustin	3,477	↑ 1
82	Jamie	3,447	↓ 20
83	Terry	3,443	↓ 8
84	Derek	3,441	–
85	Brent	3,423	↓ 7
86	Randy	3,397	↓ 7
87	Gabriel	3,346	↓ 6
88	Troy	3,307	↓ 15
89	Russell	3,124	↓ 2
90	Philip	3,093	↓ 1
91	Billy	2,950	↓ 6
92	Tony	2,938	↓ 6
93	Johnny	2,801	↓ 1
94	Erik	2,786	–
95	Zachary	2,777	↑ 2
96	Alexander	2,704	↑ 11
97	Rodney	2,703	↓ 9
98	Jimmy	2,637	↑ 3
99	Carl	2,615	↓ 4
100	Curtis	2,605	↑ 5

Biggest movers of 1977

Changes in rank within the top 1,000 compared with the year before.

Rising Girls

Sommer ↑ 411 #441
Jaclyn ↑ 391 #148
Jillian ↑ 379 #236
Marlena ↑ 363 #464
Salina ↑ 356 #495
Ryan ↑ 325 #516
Jada ↑ 299 #644
Kenisha ↑ 268 #685
Shanta ↑ 265 #577
Selina ↑ 255 #480

Falling Girls

Tamiko ↓ 275 #900
Tiana ↓ 258 #853
Ayana ↓ 217 #983
Bernice ↓ 211 #824
Buffy ↓ 209 #905
Liliana ↓ 205 #909
Spring ↓ 204 #827
Trudy ↓ 194 #902
Tamica ↓ 189 #978
Hilda ↓ 180 #765

New in the top 1,000 (Girls)

Kizzy, Haley, Devon, Raven, Kizzie, Qiana, Talia, Hayley, Bambi, Shawnte, Shante, Shonna, Polly, Salena, Liana

Dropped out of the top 1,000 (Girls)

Liberty, Luciana, Lola, Tarsha, Geraldine, Catina, Aida, Ivette, Sherita, Candida, Susannah, Chantelle, Kyra, Chaka, Elvira

Rising Boys

Kristoffer ↑ 330 #561
Rashad ↑ 329 #455
Marques ↑ 279 #631
Cyrus ↑ 215 #732
Elvis ↑ 213 #466
Cortney ↑ 208 #706
Delvin ↑ 203 #747
Tanner ↑ 199 #777
Ezekiel ↑ 195 #769
Shaun ↑ 193 #103

Falling Boys

Trever ↓ 195 #997
Stacey ↓ 175 #601
Telly ↓ 172 #735
Vance ↓ 150 #708
Edwardo ↓ 146 #835
Kelley ↓ 146 #911
Bernardo ↓ 144 #875
Deangelo ↓ 144 #914
Harrison ↓ 142 #971
Amy ↓ 138 #998

New in the top 1,000 (Boys)

Levar, Lavar, Kunta, Raheem, Jedediah, Jerimiah, Westley, Eliseo, Kinte, Cale, Corry, Rashawn, Jeramiah, Jessica, Whitney

Dropped out of the top 1,000 (Boys)

Nakia, Sandy, Christoper, Hakim, Mac, Valentin, Corbin, Aurelio, Roscoe, Kermit, Anibal, Gus, Isidro, Marlo, Dannie

Other years

Trend lists

Source: US Social Security Administration. Ranks are computed from birth counts for each sex; names given to fewer than five babies in a year are not published.