These Vintage 1970s Baby Names Are Total Classics

1) Jennifer

1) Jennifer, 4) Christopher, 5) Melissa, 6) Jason, 7) Michelle, 8) David, 9) Kimberly, 11) Lisa, 12) John, 13) Angela, 15) Heather, 16) Brian, 17) Stephanie, 18) William, 19) Nicole, 20) Matthew

SSA ranking in the 1970s: 1SSA ranking today: 547Meaning: "white wave" or "fair lady"

Gen X Jennys are a dime a dozen, seeing as the name dominated the decade. Jennifer, as in Rio Lobo actress Jennifer O'Neill, was the No. 1 name starting in 1970, and stayed there all the way through its peak in 1984. It's been on a slow decline ever since, and now sits somewhere in the middle of the SSA top 1,000 names, falling 26 places from the year before. But even though it's past its mighty peak, there are still plenty of little Jennifers running around.

3) Amy

1) Jennifer, 4) Christopher, 5) Melissa, 6) Jason, 7) Michelle, 8) David, 9) Kimberly, 11) Lisa, 12) John, 13) Angela, 15) Heather, 16) Brian, 17) Stephanie, 18) William, 19) Nicole, 20) Matthew

SSA ranking in the 1970s: 2
SSA ranking today: 228
Meaning: "beloved"

Amy, as in First Daughter Amy Carter, may not be the No. 1 name of the 1970s, but it may be the most 1970s. The name had its best years during the decade, entering the top 5 in 1970, peaking in 1976 and leaving the top 5 again in 1979. While it hasn't been able to achieve its former glory, and it decreased in popularity between last year and the year before, there is a glimmer that Amy could be staging a comeback: In 2021, it had a blip of a resurgence, rising 26 places in rank.

4) Christopher

1) Jennifer, 4) Christopher, 5) Melissa, 6) Jason, 7) Michelle, 8) David, 9) Kimberly, 11) Lisa, 12) John, 13) Angela, 15) Heather, 16) Brian, 17) Stephanie, 18) William, 19) Nicole, 20) Matthew

SSA ranking in the 1970s: 2
SSA ranking today: 61
Meaning: "bearing Christ"

Christopher, the second most popular boy name of the whole decade, was just starting its ascent in the 1970s; it kept climbing until it hit the No. 2 spot in 1979, and stayed there all the way until 1994. Perhaps parents were inspired by the clean-cut good looks of actor Christopher Reeve, who started his stint as Superman in 1978. Christopher hung around as a top-10 name even up until 2010 before it started falling, but, like Superman himself, it could take off faster than a speeding bullet at any time.

5) Melissa

1) Jennifer, 4) Christopher, 5) Melissa, 6) Jason, 7) Michelle, 8) David, 9) Kimberly, 11) Lisa, 12) John, 13) Angela, 15) Heather, 16) Brian, 17) Stephanie, 18) William, 19) Nicole, 20) Matthew

SSA ranking in the 1970s: 3
SSA ranking today: 378
Meaning: "honeybee"

Though the name Melissa, as in Little House on the Prairie actress Melissa Gilbert, peaked in 1979, is already on an upswing: The SSA identified it as one of the year's fastest climbers, rising 32 places in rank between last year and the year before. (I'm not a Melissa but as a Marisa, I'm all for the comeback!)

6) Jason

1) Jennifer, 4) Christopher, 5) Melissa, 6) Jason, 7) Michelle, 8) David, 9) Kimberly, 11) Lisa, 12) John, 13) Angela, 15) Heather, 16) Brian, 17) Stephanie, 18) William, 19) Nicole, 20) Matthew

SSA ranking in the 1970s: 3
SSA ranking today: 148
Meaning: "to heal"

The name Jason, as in respected theater actor Jason Robards, peaked in 1978 and really started falling out of favors in the '80s — could a certain ski-mask-wearing, triskaidekaphobic horror-movie villain have spoiled it for the generations that came after? Surely, enough time has passed for parents to re-discover the moniker ... even if there is another Friday the 13th TV adaptation in the works.

7) Michelle

1) Jennifer, 4) Christopher, 5) Melissa, 6) Jason, 7) Michelle, 8) David, 9) Kimberly, 11) Lisa, 12) John, 13) Angela, 15) Heather, 16) Brian, 17) Stephanie, 18) William, 19) Nicole, 20) Matthew

SSA ranking in the 1970s: 4
SSA ranking today: 409
Meaning: "who is like God?"

You can thank the Fab Four for the popularity of the name Michelle. It took off like a rocket after The Beatles released their song "Michelle" in 1965, and kept climbing until it hit a peak in 1972. Other celeb role models (Michelle Pfeiffer, Michelle Phillips) might have helped keep the name in the top 100 until 2008, but it's been steadily falling ever since. Maybe a new band can breathe new life into it via song?

8) David

1) Jennifer, 4) Christopher, 5) Melissa, 6) Jason, 7) Michelle, 8) David, 9) Kimberly, 11) Lisa, 12) John, 13) Angela, 15) Heather, 16) Brian, 17) Stephanie, 18) William, 19) Nicole, 20) Matthew

SSA ranking in the 1970s: 4
SSA ranking today: 31
Meaning: "beloved"

David was already on its way down in the '70s, having peaked in 1960, but rockers like David Bowie and Davy Jones kept the decline to a slow crawl, and it remains popular today. The name stayed in the top 10 until 1992, the hung on in the top 20 until 2017. It even rose a little in popularity between 2022, when it was No. 31, and 2023, when it was No. 27 — but it fell back down to 31 again last year.

9) Kimberly

1) Jennifer, 4) Christopher, 5) Melissa, 6) Jason, 7) Michelle, 8) David, 9) Kimberly, 11) Lisa, 12) John, 13) Angela, 15) Heather, 16) Brian, 17) Stephanie, 18) William, 19) Nicole, 20) Matthew

SSA ranking in the 1970s: 5SSA ranking today: 246Meaning: "Cyneburg's field"

Kimberly — nickname Kim, as in Facts of Life star Kim Fields — is one of those just-right names that's never too popular, not too obscure. It never reached the top spot, peaking at No. 2 in 1967. Even then, it didn't stick around in the top 10 for long and was out of the top 20 by 1984. Now, it's flagged by the SSA as being a name that decreases in popularity year after year, but that just means that any parent who wants to snap it up can own it.

11) Lisa

1) Jennifer, 4) Christopher, 5) Melissa, 6) Jason, 7) Michelle, 8) David, 9) Kimberly, 11) Lisa, 12) John, 13) Angela, 15) Heather, 16) Brian, 17) Stephanie, 18) William, 19) Nicole, 20) Matthew

SSA ranking in the 1970s: 1
SSA ranking today: 985
Meaning: "God's promise"

The name Lisa always finds its way into the spotlight, from celebrity baby Lisa Marie Presley in the '60s to supermodel Lisa Taylor in the '70s to Blackpink's Lisa today. Blackpink hasn't actually boosted the name yet — the name actually felt 134 spots between last year and the year before — but this is surely a name to watch.

12) John

1) Jennifer, 4) Christopher, 5) Melissa, 6) Jason, 7) Michelle, 8) David, 9) Kimberly, 11) Lisa, 12) John, 13) Angela, 15) Heather, 16) Brian, 17) Stephanie, 18) William, 19) Nicole, 20) Matthew

SSA ranking in the 1970s: 6
SSA ranking today: 21
Meaning: "God is gracious"

If John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever isn't emblematic of the disco decade, no one is. And with Travolta tearing up the dance floor in that film and Grease, it's no wonder the name John was at the top of parents' minds in the '70s. But the name had its heyday decades before: John was the No. 1 name in America from 1900 to 1923, and it's slowly declined ever since, bottoming out in the 2010s. But things seem on the upswing now, and it's been steadily increasing in popularity since 2020.

13) Angela

1) Jennifer, 4) Christopher, 5) Melissa, 6) Jason, 7) Michelle, 8) David, 9) Kimberly, 11) Lisa, 12) John, 13) Angela, 15) Heather, 16) Brian, 17) Stephanie, 18) William, 19) Nicole, 20) Matthew

SSA ranking in the 1970s: 7
SSA ranking today: 282
Meaning: "angel"

Angela, as in civil rights activist Angela Davis, had its most successful decade in the '70s: The name stayed in the top 10 between 1965 and 1979, and hit its peak in 1976. And while it hasn't hit those heights since, this is another name that, since 2020, has been bouncing up and down in popularity, gaining rank some years and losing it in others. Does that signal a larger comeback?

15) Heather

1) Jennifer, 4) Christopher, 5) Melissa, 6) Jason, 7) Michelle, 8) David, 9) Kimberly, 11) Lisa, 12) John, 13) Angela, 15) Heather, 16) Brian, 17) Stephanie, 18) William, 19) Nicole, 20) Matthew

SSA ranking in the 1970s: 8
SSA ranking today: 977
Meaning: "small shrub"

It's no coincidence that the name Heather, from actress Heather Locklear to the alpha trio in Heathers, was associated with popularity in the '70s and '80s: It was a blockbuster name then, sticking around the top 10 from 1972 to 1987 (with the exception of one year, 1982, when it was No. 12). Perhaps it burned too brightly too quickly, because today Heather barely makes the SSA's list of the Top 1000 names.

16) Brian

1) Jennifer, 4) Christopher, 5) Melissa, 6) Jason, 7) Michelle, 8) David, 9) Kimberly, 11) Lisa, 12) John, 13) Angela, 15) Heather, 16) Brian, 17) Stephanie, 18) William, 19) Nicole, 20) Matthew

SSA ranking in the 1970s: 8
SSA ranking today: 301
Meaning: "noble"

Brian, as in Beach Boys frontman Brian Wilson, is a name whose true popularity may be obscured by spelling variations. Today, The name is No. 301 on the SSA list — but right behind it at No. 305 is Bryan. If you add them together, they represent about 2,200 babies born last year — which really would make them closer to No. 164 (more than Jesus, less than Cole). Still, even added to its variant, Brian is still far from its 1970s peak, when it was the No. 8 name from 1972 to 1977.

17) Stephanie

1) Jennifer, 4) Christopher, 5) Melissa, 6) Jason, 7) Michelle, 8) David, 9) Kimberly, 11) Lisa, 12) John, 13) Angela, 15) Heather, 16) Brian, 17) Stephanie, 18) William, 19) Nicole, 20) Matthew

SSA ranking in the 1970s: 9
SSA ranking today: 533
Meaning: "garland" or "crown"

Stephanie, like The Wiz star Stephanie Mills, is often used as a female form of Stephen. But the way parents are approaching all names as gender-neutral names today means a parent is actually more likely to name a baby Stevie (No. 209 on the SSA list) than Stephanie (No. 533). That just means that Stephanie is ripe for reclamation. The name started gaining steam in the '70s, when it cracked into the top 10, but didn't peak until 1984 to 1987, when it was No. 6.

18) William

1) Jennifer, 4) Christopher, 5) Melissa, 6) Jason, 7) Michelle, 8) David, 9) Kimberly, 11) Lisa, 12) John, 13) Angela, 15) Heather, 16) Brian, 17) Stephanie, 18) William, 19) Nicole, 20) Matthew

SSA ranking in the 1970s: 9
SSA ranking today: 10
Meaning: "resolute protector"

Always exceedingly popular, William, as in Network actor William Holden, has been in the top 20 names for over a century, and it's usually in the top 10. That's true today, when it just barely makes the SSA's top 10 names, although it's been overshadowed by an Irish variant, Liam, which is currently the No. 1 boy's name in America.

19) Nicole

1) Jennifer, 4) Christopher, 5) Melissa, 6) Jason, 7) Michelle, 8) David, 9) Kimberly, 11) Lisa, 12) John, 13) Angela, 15) Heather, 16) Brian, 17) Stephanie, 18) William, 19) Nicole, 20) Matthew

SSA ranking in the 1970s: 10
SSA ranking today: 318
Meaning: "people of victory"

Unlike Stephanie, Nicole, like Belgian tennis player Nicole Mabille, has not yet been overtaken by nicknames like Nicky or Nikki, despite celebs like Nicky Hilton or Nikki Reed thrusting the shortened versions into the spotlight in the late 2000s. Today, Nicole still outranks them all, settling in at No. 318 on the SSA list. In the '70s, though, the name was just starting to gain steam, and it continued to climb until its peak in 1982.

20) Matthew

1) Jennifer, 4) Christopher, 5) Melissa, 6) Jason, 7) Michelle, 8) David, 9) Kimberly, 11) Lisa, 12) John, 13) Angela, 15) Heather, 16) Brian, 17) Stephanie, 18) William, 19) Nicole, 20) Matthew

SSA ranking in the 1970s: 10
SSA ranking today: 33
Meaning: "gift of God"

Matt Robinson, who played Gordon on Sesame Street, was a gift to Gen X kids — fitting, since the name Matthew means "gift of God." In the '70s, Matthew was still and up-and-comer, rising from No. 24 in 1970 to No, 6 in 1979. But the name's best years were in the '80s and '00s, when it had a streak of being the No. 3 name from 1981 to 2001 (except for 1995 and 1996, when it was actually No. 2). Today, the name isn't that high on the list, but it's still a respectable No. 33, up a little from a low point at No. 29 in 2022. A similar name, Mateo, has leaped over Matthew to be the No. 7 name.

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