Most Popular Baby Names of 1982

In 1982, the most popular baby names in the United States were Jennifer for girls and Michael for boys. Jennifer was given to 57,120 girls and Michael to 68,216 boys, according to Social Security card applications.

Across all names, the Social Security Administration recorded 3,507,772 births for names given to at least five babies that year, up from 3,459,237 in 1981. 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: Cassandra, Krystal, Alexis, Brittany, Jillian, and Margaret.

← 1981 1983 →The 1980s Download top 1,000 (CSV)

Top 100 baby names of 1982

Girls

Girls
#	Name	Babies	Change
1	Jennifer	57,120	–
2	Jessica	45,453	–
3	Amanda	34,214	–
4	Sarah	28,483	–
5	Melissa	25,864	–
6	Nicole	21,706	↑ 1
7	Stephanie	20,861	↑ 1
8	Elizabeth	20,506	↑ 1
9	Crystal	19,099	↑ 7
10	Amy	18,799	↓ 4
11	Michelle	17,765	–
12	Heather	17,493	↓ 2
13	Tiffany	17,175	↑ 1
14	Kimberly	16,101	↓ 1
15	Rebecca	15,730	↓ 3
16	Angela	15,002	↓ 1
17	Ashley	14,851	↑ 17
18	Amber	14,678	↑ 2
19	Christina	14,518	↓ 2
20	Erin	14,362	↓ 1
21	Rachel	13,871	↑ 1
22	Laura	13,310	↓ 1
23	Lisa	12,637	↓ 5
24	Emily	12,519	↑ 5
25	Kelly	12,170	↓ 2
26	Lauren	11,589	↑ 9
27	Andrea	11,374	↓ 3
28	Sara	11,344	↓ 2
29	Jamie	11,039	↓ 1
30	Mary	10,851	↓ 3
31	Danielle	10,204	↓ 1
32	April	10,060	↓ 7
33	Kristen	9,534	↑ 5
34	Megan	9,518	↓ 1
35	Erica	9,340	↑ 1
36	Katherine	9,179	↑ 3
37	Kristin	8,734	↓ 6
38	Shannon	8,623	↓ 6
39	Lindsay	8,260	↑ 8
40	Lindsey	7,961	↑ 18
41	Julie	7,696	↓ 4
42	Maria	7,348	↓ 2
43	Courtney	7,100	–
44	Samantha	6,768	↑ 7
45	Katie	6,681	↓ 1
46	Christine	6,555	↓ 4
47	Tara	6,524	↓ 2
48	Kathryn	6,284	–
49	Vanessa	6,154	↑ 13
50	Brandy	6,077	↓ 9
51	Natalie	5,961	↑ 9
52	Monica	5,734	↓ 3
53	Alicia	5,614	↓ 7
54	Jacqueline	5,493	↑ 13
55	Brandi	5,469	↓ 5
56	Anna	5,271	↓ 2
57	Carrie	5,186	↓ 2
58	Allison	5,170	↓ 1
59	Patricia	5,168	↓ 6
60	Leslie	4,985	↓ 4
61	Holly	4,682	↑ 2
62	Cassandra	4,663	↑ 42
63	Diana	4,430	↑ 12
64	Cynthia	4,427	↓ 5
65	Melanie	4,255	↑ 1
66	Victoria	4,255	↑ 21
67	Dana	4,242	↑ 3
68	Karen	4,153	↓ 4
69	Veronica	4,150	↓ 1
70	Kristina	4,149	↑ 2
71	Natasha	4,128	↑ 14
72	Stacy	4,099	↓ 7
73	Catherine	4,098	–
74	Misty	4,071	↓ 13
75	Valerie	3,989	↑ 14
76	Susan	3,970	↓ 5
77	Kathleen	3,949	↑ 5
78	Candice	3,791	↑ 8
79	Leah	3,762	↑ 2
80	Sandra	3,655	↓ 6
81	Erika	3,596	↑ 12
82	Pamela	3,546	↓ 6
83	Krystal	3,504	↑ 48
84	Julia	3,502	↑ 4
85	Stacey	3,459	↓ 2
86	Heidi	3,392	↓ 2
87	Katrina	3,322	↑ 8
88	Tracy	3,283	↓ 11
89	Jill	3,270	↓ 11
90	Tina	3,219	↓ 10
91	Latoya	3,201	↓ 22
92	Brooke	3,144	↓ 40
93	Alexis	3,123	↑ 79
94	Brittany	3,102	↑ 71
95	Dawn	3,088	↓ 16
96	Jillian	3,056	↑ 41
97	Margaret	2,998	↑ 10
98	Lori	2,978	↓ 7
99	Nichole	2,923	↑ 10
100	Denise	2,896	↓ 4

Boys

Boys
#	Name	Babies	Change
1	Michael	68,216	–
2	Christopher	59,223	–
3	Matthew	46,045	–
4	Jason	40,628	–
5	David	40,453	–
6	James	38,874	↑ 1
7	Joshua	38,004	↓ 1
8	John	34,698	–
9	Robert	34,409	–
10	Daniel	32,652	–
11	Joseph	31,035	–
12	Justin	29,115	–
13	Ryan	26,685	–
14	Brian	25,829	–
15	William	25,604	–
16	Jonathan	23,113	–
17	Andrew	22,833	↑ 1
18	Brandon	20,212	↑ 1
19	Adam	20,099	↑ 1
20	Eric	19,878	↓ 3
21	Anthony	19,648	↑ 2
22	Nicholas	19,643	↓ 1
23	Thomas	17,578	↑ 3
24	Timothy	17,464	–
25	Kevin	17,462	–
26	Steven	17,145	↑ 2
27	Richard	16,717	–
28	Jeremy	16,466	↓ 6
29	Jeffrey	16,030	–
30	Aaron	14,406	–
31	Charles	14,310	–
32	Mark	13,865	↑ 1
33	Benjamin	13,805	↓ 1
34	Scott	12,200	–
35	Paul	11,310	–
36	Nathan	10,805	–
37	Patrick	10,695	↑ 1
38	Stephen	10,627	↑ 1
39	Travis	10,415	↑ 1
40	Gregory	10,144	↑ 6
41	Jacob	10,059	↑ 2
42	Dustin	9,551	–
43	Jesse	9,504	↓ 6
44	Sean	9,359	–
45	Kenneth	9,354	↓ 4
46	Jose	8,624	↓ 1
47	Kyle	8,207	↑ 5
48	Chad	7,909	↓ 1
49	Bryan	7,498	↓ 1
50	Derek	6,992	↑ 3
51	Bradley	6,975	↓ 1
52	Shawn	6,842	↓ 3
53	Edward	6,281	↓ 2
54	Jared	6,263	↑ 3
55	Zachary	6,139	↑ 8
56	Samuel	6,014	↓ 2
57	Peter	5,777	↓ 2
58	Donald	5,712	↓ 2
59	Keith	5,620	↓ 1
60	Ronald	5,207	↓ 1
61	Juan	5,121	↓ 1
62	George	4,990	↓ 1
63	Marcus	4,988	↑ 4
64	Gary	4,642	↓ 2
65	Alexander	4,593	↑ 5
66	Tyler	4,577	↑ 30
67	Phillip	4,520	↓ 1
68	Douglas	4,511	↓ 4
69	Joel	4,446	↓ 4
70	Raymond	4,294	↓ 2
71	Carlos	4,268	–
72	Brett	4,026	↑ 7
73	Craig	4,018	↓ 1
74	Corey	3,939	↓ 5
75	Nathaniel	3,939	↑ 5
76	Antonio	3,884	↓ 1
77	Larry	3,720	↓ 4
78	Derrick	3,655	–
79	Philip	3,642	↑ 5
80	Erik	3,632	↓ 4
81	Frank	3,604	↑ 1
82	Todd	3,598	↓ 8
83	Ian	3,574	↑ 18
84	Shane	3,539	↓ 3
85	Jordan	3,534	↑ 17
86	Casey	3,427	↓ 1
87	Dennis	3,392	↓ 4
88	Gabriel	3,363	↓ 1
89	Jeremiah	3,329	↓ 12
90	Luis	3,324	↑ 2
91	Brent	3,321	↓ 3
92	Jeffery	3,311	↑ 1
93	Cory	3,237	↓ 3
94	Randy	3,229	↓ 3
95	Cody	3,180	↑ 24
96	Shaun	3,154	↓ 10
97	Russell	3,032	↑ 1
98	Wesley	3,031	↑ 1
99	Victor	3,002	↑ 5
100	Jerry	2,942	↓ 3

Biggest movers of 1982

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

Rising Girls

Kayla ↑ 450 #133
Rosanna ↑ 382 #439
Brynn ↑ 381 #611
Fallon ↑ 339 #376
Ariel ↑ 328 #394
Toccara ↑ 315 #542
Kassandra ↑ 263 #566
Lynsey ↑ 257 #693
Taryn ↑ 252 #467
Tanika ↑ 252 #582

Falling Girls

Griselda ↓ 184 #837
Kisha ↓ 179 #764
Jena ↓ 165 #866
Starla ↓ 163 #922
Fawn ↓ 163 #951
Jessi ↓ 162 #810
Brook ↓ 154 #679
Latanya ↓ 150 #725
Simone ↓ 149 #646
Cristy ↓ 149 #711

New in the top 1,000 (Girls)

Chelsey, Kaleena, Kala, Cody, Kassie, Jenilee, Emilee, Cassondra, Shaina, Clare, Chloe, Tana, Afton, Chantal, Ciara

Dropped out of the top 1,000 (Girls)

Dusty, Renata, Chrissy, Evita, Martine, Sunshine, Nikia, Marisela, Starr, Chanda, Janeen, Latricia, India, Tomeka, Nakisha

Rising Boys

Chase ↑ 366 #245
Taurean ↑ 353 #593
Dominique ↑ 229 #541
Quintin ↑ 223 #598
Cole ↑ 218 #266
Kellen ↑ 205 #412
Colby ↑ 179 #360
Jameson ↑ 164 #778
Carter ↑ 162 #810
Wilfred ↑ 149 #844

Falling Boys

Denis ↓ 192 #973
Marcello ↓ 179 #974
Jamey ↓ 176 #830
Valentin ↓ 169 #980
Jereme ↓ 161 #1000
Darwin ↓ 154 #957
Garth ↓ 146 #903
Fidel ↓ 143 #845
Lynn ↓ 142 #801
Jerimiah ↓ 141 #961

New in the top 1,000 (Boys)

Colt, Kiel, Colton, Renaldo, Eliezer, Schuyler, Sedrick, Jace, Rashawn, Rasheed, Brandt, Ashton, Lenny, Darrius, Eddy

Dropped out of the top 1,000 (Boys)

Irvin, Kirby, Marchello, Jermey, Carmen, Jermain, Sammie, Simeon, Homer, Stephanie, Westley, Michelle, Sandy, Adalberto, Edgardo

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.