Most Popular Baby Names of 1985

In 1985, the most popular baby names in the United States were Jessica for girls and Michael for boys. Jessica was given to 48,345 girls and Michael to 64,934 boys, according to Social Security card applications.

Across all names, the Social Security Administration recorded 3,569,038 births for names given to at least five babies that year, up from 3,488,665 in 1984. 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: Whitney, Caitlin, Dominique, Brittney, Katrina, and Alison.

← 1984 1986 →The 1980s Download top 1,000 (CSV)

Top 100 baby names of 1985

Girls

Girls
#	Name	Babies	Change
1	Jessica	48,345	↑ 1
2	Ashley	47,010	↑ 1
3	Jennifer	42,661	↓ 2
4	Amanda	39,055	–
5	Sarah	24,879	–
6	Stephanie	23,243	–
7	Nicole	22,966	–
8	Heather	21,151	↑ 1
9	Elizabeth	20,545	↑ 1
10	Megan	20,013	↑ 1
11	Melissa	19,963	↓ 3
12	Christina	16,600	↑ 8
13	Rachel	16,360	↑ 2
14	Laura	16,002	↑ 5
15	Lauren	15,768	↑ 6
16	Amber	15,506	↑ 2
17	Brittany	15,437	↑ 24
18	Danielle	15,417	↓ 2
19	Kimberly	14,914	↑ 3
20	Amy	14,429	↓ 7
21	Crystal	14,399	↓ 9
22	Michelle	13,973	↓ 5
23	Tiffany	13,681	↓ 9
24	Emily	13,144	–
25	Rebecca	12,705	↓ 2
26	Erin	11,384	↓ 1
27	Jamie	11,038	↑ 4
28	Kelly	11,031	↓ 1
29	Samantha	10,658	↑ 10
30	Sara	10,562	↑ 2
31	Angela	10,227	↓ 5
32	Katherine	10,128	↓ 2
33	Andrea	10,053	↓ 5
34	Erica	9,525	–
35	Mary	9,240	↓ 2
36	Lisa	9,012	↓ 7
37	Lindsey	8,468	↓ 2
38	Kristen	8,445	–
39	Katie	7,995	↑ 5
40	Lindsay	7,871	↓ 4
41	Shannon	7,714	↓ 4
42	Vanessa	7,563	↑ 3
43	Courtney	7,531	↑ 3
44	Christine	7,441	↓ 1
45	Alicia	7,122	↓ 5
46	Allison	7,028	↑ 5
47	April	6,691	↓ 5
48	Kathryn	6,634	–
49	Kristin	6,566	↓ 2
50	Jenna	6,436	↑ 4
51	Tara	6,102	↓ 2
52	Maria	6,013	↓ 2
53	Krystal	5,933	↑ 21
54	Anna	5,883	↑ 3
55	Julie	5,761	↓ 3
56	Holly	5,602	↓ 3
57	Kristina	5,566	↑ 11
58	Natalie	5,535	↓ 3
59	Victoria	5,426	–
60	Jacqueline	5,250	↓ 4
61	Monica	4,990	↓ 3
62	Cassandra	4,726	↑ 1
63	Meghan	4,669	↑ 2
64	Patricia	4,402	↑ 2
65	Catherine	4,297	↑ 4
66	Cynthia	4,129	↓ 4
67	Stacy	4,109	–
68	Kathleen	4,087	↑ 3
69	Brandi	4,045	↓ 8
70	Brandy	3,901	↓ 6
71	Valerie	3,881	↑ 5
72	Veronica	3,875	↓ 2
73	Whitney	3,832	↑ 52
74	Diana	3,686	↓ 2
75	Chelsea	3,613	↑ 9
76	Leslie	3,607	↓ 1
77	Caitlin	3,593	↑ 41
78	Leah	3,572	↑ 5
79	Natasha	3,553	↓ 2
80	Erika	3,503	↑ 1
81	Latoya	3,402	↓ 21
82	Dana	3,348	↓ 9
83	Dominique	3,299	↑ 126
84	Brittney	3,224	↑ 92
85	Julia	3,206	↑ 2
86	Candice	3,195	–
87	Karen	3,138	↓ 5
88	Melanie	3,132	↓ 3
89	Stacey	3,114	↓ 10
90	Margaret	3,072	↑ 2
91	Sheena	3,062	↓ 11
92	Alexandra	3,017	↑ 4
93	Katrina	2,978	↑ 12
94	Bethany	2,959	↓ 1
95	Nichole	2,950	↑ 2
96	Carrie	2,942	↓ 18
97	Alison	2,829	↑ 13
98	Kara	2,811	↓ 3
99	Joanna	2,772	↓ 11
100	Rachael	2,761	↑ 3

Boys

Boys
#	Name	Babies	Change
1	Michael	64,934	–
2	Christopher	59,609	–
3	Matthew	47,075	–
4	Joshua	42,194	–
5	Daniel	38,559	↑ 1
6	David	38,522	↓ 1
7	James	35,862	–
8	Robert	32,094	↑ 1
9	John	31,502	↓ 1
10	Joseph	30,222	–
11	Andrew	30,178	↑ 3
12	Ryan	29,905	–
13	Brandon	29,304	↑ 2
14	Jason	26,039	↓ 3
15	Justin	25,537	↓ 2
16	William	24,606	–
17	Jonathan	24,116	↑ 2
18	Brian	23,069	↓ 1
19	Nicholas	22,384	↑ 1
20	Anthony	22,104	↑ 1
21	Eric	20,844	↑ 1
22	Adam	20,165	↓ 4
23	Kevin	18,814	↑ 1
24	Steven	18,726	↓ 1
25	Thomas	17,609	–
26	Timothy	17,140	–
27	Kyle	16,523	↑ 7
28	Richard	15,330	↓ 1
29	Jeffrey	14,500	↓ 1
30	Jeremy	13,445	↑ 1
31	Benjamin	13,423	↓ 1
32	Mark	13,194	–
33	Aaron	13,137	↓ 4
34	Charles	12,900	↓ 1
35	Jacob	12,284	↑ 2
36	Stephen	12,210	↓ 1
37	Patrick	11,638	↓ 1
38	Sean	11,455	↑ 5
39	Zachary	11,346	↑ 6
40	Nathan	10,653	↓ 2
41	Dustin	10,439	–
42	Paul	10,315	↓ 2
43	Tyler	10,211	↑ 4
44	Scott	10,145	↓ 5
45	Gregory	9,767	↓ 1
46	Travis	9,094	↓ 4
47	Kenneth	8,992	↓ 1
48	Bryan	8,717	–
49	Jose	8,403	–
50	Alexander	8,295	↑ 4
51	Jesse	8,221	↓ 1
52	Cody	7,096	↑ 10
53	Bradley	7,011	–
54	Samuel	7,009	↑ 1
55	Shawn	6,982	↑ 1
56	Derek	6,661	↓ 4
57	Chad	6,466	↓ 6
58	Jared	5,883	↑ 1
59	Edward	5,869	↓ 1
60	Peter	5,671	–
61	Marcus	5,586	↓ 4
62	Jordan	5,460	↑ 3
63	Corey	5,228	↑ 6
64	Keith	5,214	↓ 3
65	Juan	4,851	↓ 1
66	Donald	4,750	↓ 3
67	Joel	4,623	↓ 1
68	Shane	4,549	↑ 17
69	Phillip	4,496	↑ 1
70	Brett	4,328	↑ 2
71	Ronald	4,299	↓ 4
72	George	4,259	↓ 4
73	Antonio	4,151	↑ 4
74	Carlos	4,089	–
75	Raymond	4,085	↓ 2
76	Douglas	4,021	↓ 5
77	Nathaniel	4,004	↑ 3
78	Ian	3,998	–
79	Craig	3,952	↓ 4
80	Alex	3,909	↑ 13
81	Cory	3,868	↑ 2
82	Gary	3,812	↓ 6
83	Derrick	3,779	↓ 4
84	Philip	3,735	↓ 3
85	Luis	3,706	↑ 3
86	Casey	3,490	↓ 4
87	Erik	3,372	↓ 3
88	Victor	3,341	↑ 2
89	Brent	3,321	–
90	Frank	3,302	↓ 4
91	Evan	3,219	↑ 7
92	Gabriel	3,215	↓ 5
93	Adrian	3,132	↑ 14
94	Wesley	3,043	↑ 7
95	Vincent	3,040	–
96	Jeffery	2,947	↓ 2
97	Larry	2,946	↓ 6
98	Curtis	2,943	↓ 2
99	Todd	2,941	↓ 7
100	Blake	2,922	↑ 3

Biggest movers of 1985

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

Rising Girls

Sierra ↑ 501 #216
Marisela ↑ 379 #495
Ciara ↑ 296 #411
Chiquita ↑ 289 #533
Shante ↑ 287 #550
Felisha ↑ 265 #733
Savanna ↑ 257 #656
India ↑ 244 #318
Santana ↑ 235 #522
Caitlyn ↑ 230 #532

Falling Girls

Kirby ↓ 234 #760
Marquita ↓ 222 #417
Candi ↓ 208 #898
Tammie ↓ 188 #997
Karin ↓ 187 #830
Shena ↓ 174 #978
Stella ↓ 168 #996
Brynn ↓ 167 #933
Sherrie ↓ 160 #814
Shantell ↓ 159 #995

New in the top 1,000 (Girls)

Cierra, Sade, Krystina, Micaela, Domonique, Keshia, Dominque, Madison, Ciera, Valeria, Chantal, Brittni, Kayleigh, Britany, Paris

Dropped out of the top 1,000 (Girls)

Grisel, Shanell, Lindy, Annemarie, Tanika, Echo, Shenna, Shalonda, Charissa, Teela, Luisa, Juana, Tenisha, Jamila, Ronda

Rising Boys

Griffin ↑ 259 #727
Brody ↑ 249 #635
Jarrell ↑ 234 #702
Coty ↑ 217 #662
Alvaro ↑ 201 #455
Harrison ↑ 153 #419
Lukas ↑ 142 #628
Tyree ↑ 139 #626
Devan ↑ 130 #711
Desmond ↑ 129 #301

Falling Boys

Tremaine ↓ 232 #916
Akeem ↓ 156 #698
Daren ↓ 153 #777
Marques ↓ 141 #589
Ezekiel ↓ 141 #826
Cleveland ↓ 140 #951
Antony ↓ 134 #906
Kris ↓ 128 #921
Michel ↓ 119 #896
Muhammad ↓ 119 #909

New in the top 1,000 (Boys)

Jairo, Durell, Durrell, Channing, Jaymes, Dakota, Keaton, Schuyler, Derrell, Ulises, Brandyn, Mackenzie, Drake, Cade, Braxton

Dropped out of the top 1,000 (Boys)

Kip, Johnpaul, Eliezer, Russel, Wilfred, Augustine, Renaldo, Adrain, Dewey, Giuseppe, Rasheed, Genaro, Tavares, Alonso, Jarad

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.