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46 years ago

Baby Names from 1980

3,444,506 registered births | 1,784,111 boys | 1,660,395 girls

← 1979 1980s Overview 1981 →
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Top 10 Baby Names of 1980

Top 10 Boy Names

1 Michael
68,687 births
2 Christopher
49,082 births
3 Jason
48,166 births
4 David
41,890 births
5 James
39,314 births
6 Matthew
37,839 births
7 Joshua
36,054 births
8 John
35,277 births
9 Robert
34,269 births
10 Joseph
30,185 births

Top 10 Girl Names

1 Jennifer
58,378 births
2 Amanda
35,811 births
3 Jessica
33,923 births
4 Melissa
31,634 births
5 Sarah
25,759 births
6 Heather
19,973 births
7 Nicole
19,917 births
8 Amy
19,833 births
9 Elizabeth
19,531 births
10 Michelle
19,120 births
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Top Unisex Names of 1980

Jamie
2,845 boys 11,529 girls
Shannon
1,328 boys 9,670 girls
Ashley
746 boys 7,296 girls
Courtney
860 boys 5,618 girls
Casey
3,215 boys 2,172 girls

Names used for both boys and girls with at least 10% minority-gender share.

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Notable Risers & Fallers in 1980

Names that jumped or dropped 50+ spots in the rankings compared to the previous year.

Biggest Risers

G Stefanie
#333 → #196 (+137)
G Nina
#284 → #148 (+136)
G Brittany
#300 → #190 (+110)
G Tasha
#190 → #130 (+60)
B Jonathon
#224 → #171 (+53)

Biggest Fallers

B Damon
#166 → #251 (-85)
G Brianne
#168 → #234 (-66)
G Angie
#196 → #248 (-52)
G Mindy
#81 → #131 (-50)
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New to the Top 200 in 1980

Names appearing in the top 200 for the first time ever.

Jonathon #171 Johnathan #174 Abigail #176 Angelica #184 Brittany #190 Garrett #191 Clint #195 Fernando #196 Stefanie #196 Ana #198
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What Life Was Like in 1980

Economy & Leadership

President
Jimmy Carter / Ronald Reagan (elected Nov)
Avg. Home Price
$47,200
Avg. Income
$17,710
Gas Price
$1.19/gal
Minimum Wage
$3.10/hr
US Population
226.5 million

Entertainment

#1 Song
Call Me - Blondie
#1 Movie
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
#1 TV Show
Dallas

Sports

Super Bowl
Pittsburgh Steelers 31, Los Angeles Rams 19 (Super Bowl XIV)
World Series
Philadelphia Phillies over Kansas City Royals (4-2)

Major Events

  • • US boycotts Moscow Olympics
  • • Mount St. Helens erupts
  • • John Lennon assassinated
  • • CNN launches as first 24-hour news network
  • • Pac-Man released

Culture & Style

Fashion Trend
Preppy look, leg warmers, Members Only jackets, big hair beginning
Tech Milestone
Pac-Man released; CNN launches; first commercial cell phone networks in testing
Generation
Generation X / Millennial cusp

Popular Slang of 1980

"gag me" "gnarly" "totally" "radical" "tubular"
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Did You Know? Fun Facts from 1980

1

'Who shot J.R.?' was the biggest TV cliffhanger in history

2

Pac-Man fever swept the nation

3

John Lennon's murder shocked the world on December 8

4

Jennifer was STILL the #1 girl name

5

Jessica was about to take over as the dominant girl name of the decade

Someone born in 1980 is 46 years old today.

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