46 years ago
Baby Names from 1980
3,444,506 registered births | 1,784,111 boys | 1,660,395 girls
Top 10 Baby Names of 1980
Top 10 Boy Names
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.
Notable Risers & Fallers in 1980
Names that jumped or dropped 50+ spots in the rankings compared to the previous year.
New to the Top 200 in 1980
Names appearing in the top 200 for the first time ever.
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"
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.