Most Popular Baby Names of 1978

In 1978, the most popular baby names in the United States were Jennifer for girls and Michael for boys. Jennifer was given to 56,314 girls and Michael to 67,127 boys, according to Social Security card applications.

Across all names, the Social Security Administration recorded 3,173,696 births for names given to at least five babies that year, down from 3,176,366 in 1977. 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: Lauren, Ashley, Katie, Cheryl, Lindsay, and Kristi.

← 1977 1979 →The 1970s Download top 1,000 (CSV)

Top 100 baby names of 1978

Girls

Girls
#	Name	Babies	Change
1	Jennifer	56,314	–
2	Melissa	28,327	–
3	Jessica	26,102	↑ 1
4	Amy	23,213	↓ 1
5	Heather	22,270	–
6	Amanda	20,520	↑ 3
7	Angela	20,517	↓ 1
8	Sarah	19,976	↑ 3
9	Michelle	18,856	↓ 2
10	Nicole	17,279	↑ 5
11	Lisa	17,033	↑ 1
12	Kelly	16,976	↓ 2
13	Kimberly	16,879	↓ 5
14	Elizabeth	16,807	↓ 1
15	Christina	16,367	↑ 1
16	Stephanie	16,233	↓ 2
17	Rebecca	13,796	–
18	Crystal	12,594	↑ 7
19	Laura	11,240	↑ 1
20	Jamie	10,982	↓ 2
21	Erin	10,786	↑ 2
22	Shannon	10,598	↓ 3
23	Andrea	10,461	↑ 1
24	Mary	10,040	↓ 3
25	Rachel	9,802	↑ 1
26	Julie	9,794	↓ 4
27	April	9,590	↑ 2
28	Sara	8,869	↓ 1
29	Christine	8,272	↑ 1
30	Amber	8,174	↑ 3
31	Danielle	7,983	–
32	Tiffany	7,701	↑ 2
33	Emily	7,473	↑ 4
34	Erica	7,340	↑ 4
35	Carrie	7,318	↓ 7
36	Maria	7,021	–
37	Brandy	6,699	↑ 14
38	Katherine	6,625	↑ 6
39	Karen	6,371	↓ 7
40	Tara	6,330	↓ 5
41	Megan	5,895	↑ 13
42	Monica	5,867	↓ 3
43	Misty	5,834	↓ 3
44	Stacy	5,776	↓ 2
45	Tina	5,699	↑ 13
46	Jill	5,676	↓ 5
47	Tracy	5,631	↑ 3
48	Patricia	5,498	↓ 1
49	Susan	5,418	↓ 4
50	Cynthia	5,403	↓ 2
51	Kristy	5,332	↑ 17
52	Dawn	5,217	↓ 9
53	Stacey	4,998	↑ 3
54	Melanie	4,996	↓ 1
55	Holly	4,972	↓ 3
56	Wendy	4,918	↓ 7
57	Kathryn	4,808	↑ 13
58	Alicia	4,752	↑ 2
59	Christy	4,661	–
60	Lori	4,631	↓ 3
61	Brandi	4,500	↑ 10
62	Kristen	4,368	↑ 10
63	Leslie	4,342	↑ 2
64	Kristina	4,229	↑ 19
65	Anna	4,173	↑ 9
66	Natalie	4,165	↑ 3
67	Tammy	4,070	↓ 12
68	Courtney	4,031	↑ 8
69	Sandra	4,005	↓ 8
70	Jaime	4,003	↓ 24
71	Dana	4,002	↓ 9
72	Catherine	3,958	↑ 3
73	Veronica	3,933	–
74	Samantha	3,886	↑ 11
75	Allison	3,864	↓ 9
76	Vanessa	3,853	↑ 14
77	Tonya	3,826	↓ 13
78	Kristin	3,807	↑ 4
79	Kathleen	3,743	↑ 1
80	Lauren	3,669	↑ 34
81	Jacqueline	3,576	↑ 11
82	Tanya	3,576	↓ 15
83	Heidi	3,567	↓ 2
84	Melinda	3,563	↑ 12
85	Denise	3,519	↓ 7
86	Michele	3,484	↓ 9
87	Ashley	3,482	↑ 19
88	Teresa	3,472	↓ 9
89	Robin	3,440	↓ 5
90	Katie	3,426	↑ 25
91	Sabrina	3,350	↓ 28
92	Valerie	3,299	↓ 6
93	Gina	3,220	↓ 5
94	Cheryl	3,167	↑ 41
95	Lindsay	3,123	↑ 15
96	Mandy	3,110	↓ 2
97	Nancy	3,044	↓ 8
98	Kristi	2,992	↑ 6
99	Renee	2,969	↓ 12
100	Linda	2,932	↓ 1

Boys

Boys
#	Name	Babies	Change
1	Michael	67,127	–
2	Jason	51,600	–
3	Christopher	47,236	–
4	David	40,684	–
5	James	39,894	–
6	Matthew	34,282	↑ 3
7	John	34,014	–
8	Robert	33,374	↓ 2
9	Brian	29,432	↓ 1
10	Joseph	26,663	–
11	Daniel	26,441	–
12	Joshua	25,204	↑ 2
13	William	24,170	↓ 1
14	Ryan	21,322	↑ 2
15	Kevin	20,094	↓ 2
16	Eric	19,761	↑ 1
17	Timothy	19,597	↑ 1
18	Jeremy	19,509	↓ 3
19	Jeffrey	16,989	–
20	Anthony	16,808	↑ 1
21	Richard	16,734	↓ 1
22	Andrew	16,720	↑ 2
23	Thomas	16,481	↓ 1
24	Steven	16,390	↓ 1
25	Nicholas	16,342	↑ 26
26	Mark	14,851	↓ 1
27	Charles	14,844	↓ 1
28	Justin	14,183	↑ 2
29	Adam	13,918	↑ 4
30	Scott	13,539	↓ 3
31	Jonathan	12,514	↓ 3
32	Aaron	12,299	–
33	Paul	11,733	↓ 2
34	Benjamin	11,414	↓ 5
35	Chad	10,107	↓ 1
36	Nathan	9,890	–
37	Stephen	9,854	↑ 1
38	Gregory	9,340	↓ 3
39	Shawn	9,289	↓ 2
40	Brandon	9,241	↑ 1
41	Kenneth	9,021	↓ 2
42	Patrick	8,830	↓ 2
43	Bryan	7,291	↓ 1
44	Jose	7,148	↑ 1
45	Sean	7,059	↓ 2
46	Travis	6,953	↓ 2
47	Edward	6,473	–
48	Donald	6,423	↓ 2
49	Keith	6,172	↓ 1
50	Jacob	6,161	↑ 6
51	Jesse	6,107	↑ 3
52	Shaun	6,105	↑ 51
53	Bradley	6,096	↓ 4
54	Peter	5,872	↑ 1
55	Ronald	5,758	↓ 2
56	Todd	5,497	↓ 6
57	Samuel	5,394	↑ 3
58	George	5,297	↓ 1
59	Douglas	5,151	–
60	Gary	5,111	↓ 2
61	Corey	4,942	↓ 9
62	Juan	4,837	↑ 1
63	Kyle	4,517	↑ 16
64	Larry	4,514	↓ 2
65	Shane	4,480	↓ 4
66	Craig	4,472	↓ 2
67	Phillip	4,362	↑ 3
68	Dustin	4,177	↑ 13
69	Raymond	4,134	↓ 4
70	Marcus	3,995	↑ 2
71	Dennis	3,861	↓ 3
72	Jared	3,847	↑ 4
73	Cory	3,842	↓ 6
74	Joel	3,810	↓ 1
75	Derek	3,800	↑ 9
76	Derrick	3,786	↑ 4
77	Frank	3,775	↓ 6
78	Carlos	3,729	↓ 4
79	Antonio	3,677	↓ 2
80	Jeffery	3,543	↓ 2
81	Jeremiah	3,445	↓ 12
82	Jerry	3,427	↓ 7
83	Wesley	3,306	↓ 17
84	Philip	3,298	↑ 6
85	Erik	3,261	↑ 9
86	Randy	3,220	–
87	Brent	3,181	↓ 2
88	Troy	3,152	–
89	Zachary	3,127	↑ 6
90	Gabriel	3,126	↓ 3
91	Terry	3,089	↓ 8
92	Casey	3,003	↑ 10
93	Russell	2,984	↓ 4
94	Nathaniel	2,925	↑ 13
95	Jamie	2,864	↓ 13
96	Curtis	2,825	↑ 4
97	Tony	2,770	↓ 5
98	Alexander	2,738	↓ 2
99	Billy	2,695	↓ 8
100	Carl	2,606	↓ 1

Biggest movers of 1978

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

Rising Girls

Lacy ↑ 454 #441
Corrine ↑ 289 #603
Jacklyn ↑ 286 #698
Elaina ↑ 283 #669
Lacey ↑ 280 #293
Abby ↑ 258 #349
Mayra ↑ 248 #483
Quiana ↑ 248 #592
Devon ↑ 236 #307
January ↑ 235 #638

Falling Girls

Tennille ↓ 522 #984
Farrah ↓ 362 #539
Kizzie ↓ 329 #927
Anitra ↓ 313 #797
Salina ↓ 271 #766
Layla ↓ 231 #977
Karri ↓ 229 #996
Danita ↓ 224 #941
Trish ↓ 221 #908
Rashida ↓ 219 #755

New in the top 1,000 (Girls)

Chrissy, Kylie, Aja, Devin, Meghann, Crissy, Kiley, Meaghan, Shavon, Brianne, Krissy, Kellee, Jordan, Kacey, Shavonne

Dropped out of the top 1,000 (Girls)

Shawnte, Celena, Polly, Salena, Joleen, Lorrie, Della, Tory, Johnna, Ayanna, Farah, Kamilah, Shalon, Cary, Darcie

Rising Boys

Conor ↑ 259 #681
Chance ↑ 226 #469
Jedidiah ↑ 206 #702
Nickolas ↑ 188 #310
Leif ↑ 187 #759
Tarik ↑ 183 #797
Jedediah ↑ 161 #601
Dane ↑ 148 #505
Khalid ↑ 148 #829
Efren ↑ 145 #804

Falling Boys

Lincoln ↓ 189 #885
Levar ↓ 171 #514
Kirby ↓ 164 #918
Jude ↓ 158 #958
Shon ↓ 156 #834
Seneca ↓ 152 #785
Lavar ↓ 146 #632
Anson ↓ 141 #908
Chuck ↓ 132 #860
Abdul ↓ 130 #831

New in the top 1,000 (Boys)

Anwar, Nicholaus, Kenji, Parker, Nikolas, Demario, Brandy, Johnpaul, Nestor, Ahmed, Nicklaus, Zebulon, Jarret, Kody, Demarco

Dropped out of the top 1,000 (Boys)

Kunta, Telly, Carter, Kinte, Corry, Jeramiah, Lonny, Brook, Jammie, Jameson, Barton, Dino, Amin, Carroll, Forest

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.