Most Popular Baby Names of 1970

In 1970, Jennifer was the most popular name for girls, given to 46,150 babies, and Michael topped the boys' list with 85,266. Jennifer took the top spot from Lisa, and Michael held on to number one for a tenth year in a row.

Social Security counted 1,748,144 girls and 1,858,229 boys born in 1970 under names given to at least five babies, spread across 9,355 different girls' names and 5,433 boys' names.

Top 100 names of 1970

Top girls' names, 1970
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1969
1	Jennifer	46,150	up 2
2	Lisa	38,967	down 1
3	Kimberly	34,130	up 1
4	Michelle	34,047	down 2
5	Amy	25,212	up 1
6	Angela	24,929	up 1
7	Melissa	23,735	down 2
8	Tammy	19,587	up 1
9	Mary	19,204	down 1
10	Tracy	18,464	up 7
11	Julie	17,158	up 1
12	Karen	16,699	up 1
13	Laura	16,490	down 3
14	Christine	16,061	same
15	Susan	15,738	down 4
16	Dawn	15,681	up 5
17	Stephanie	15,387	up 2
18	Elizabeth	15,108	down 2
19	Heather	14,669	up 15
20	Kelly	14,607	down 5
21	Tina	13,861	up 1
22	Shannon	13,547	up 9
23	Lori	13,448	down 3
24	Patricia	13,406	down 6
25	Cynthia	12,913	down 2
26	Pamela	12,907	down 2
27	Sandra	11,246	down 2
28	Wendy	11,100	up 1
29	Rebecca	10,854	down 1
30	Nicole	10,691	up 17
31	Michele	10,090	down 1
32	Donna	9,968	down 6
33	Deborah	9,845	down 6
34	Teresa	9,612	down 2
35	Christina	9,588	up 2
36	Denise	9,343	down 1
37	Sharon	9,177	down 1
38	Linda	8,731	down 5
39	Maria	8,686	up 1
40	Brenda	8,336	down 2
41	Barbara	8,026	down 2
42	Stacy	7,771	up 11
43	Andrea	7,708	up 5
44	Cheryl	7,440	down 3
45	Kathleen	7,410	down 3
46	Rhonda	7,379	down 2
47	Debra	7,198	down 4
48	Stacey	7,154	up 4
49	Tonya	7,140	up 5
50	Nancy	7,063	down 5
51	Robin	7,004	down 5
52	Jill	6,806	down 1
53	Theresa	6,411	down 4
54	Dana	6,406	up 6
55	Tracey	6,230	up 10
56	Monica	6,188	up 3
57	Paula	6,055	down 7
58	Rachel	6,029	up 11
59	Catherine	6,004	down 1
60	Sherry	5,917	down 5
61	Gina	5,874	up 2
62	Ann	5,740	down 5
63	Kristin	5,633	up 13
64	Leslie	5,622	same
65	Sarah	5,614	up 7
66	Jacqueline	5,576	down 4
67	Katherine	5,443	up 3
68	Renee	5,373	down 1
69	Tara	5,329	up 38
70	Diane	5,188	down 9
71	Carol	5,064	down 15
72	Cindy	5,049	up 2
73	Carrie	4,978	up 21
74	Holly	4,940	up 13
75	Sheila	4,937	down 7
76	Tanya	4,862	up 15
77	Kathy	4,797	same
78	Kim	4,729	down 12
79	Tamara	4,721	down 1
80	Margaret	4,704	down 7
81	Heidi	4,642	down 1
82	April	4,603	up 15
83	Kristen	4,600	up 13
84	Carolyn	4,518	down 13
85	Victoria	4,460	down 2
86	Regina	4,433	same
87	Suzanne	4,425	down 12
88	Laurie	4,392	down 9
89	Diana	4,373	down 8
90	Deanna	4,331	down 2
91	Melanie	4,330	up 1
92	Beth	4,247	down 10
93	Melinda	4,225	down 4
94	Carla	4,214	down 4
95	Jodi	4,186	same
96	Janet	4,158	down 12
97	Valerie	4,130	down 12
98	Jessica	4,021	up 36
99	Tiffany	3,999	up 45
100	Traci	3,854	up 12

Top boys' names, 1970
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1969
1	Michael	85,266	same
2	James	61,735	up 1
3	David	61,728	down 1
4	John	58,491	same
5	Robert	57,177	same
6	Christopher	41,747	up 1
7	William	38,887	down 1
8	Brian	31,917	up 1
9	Mark	31,461	down 1
10	Richard	30,442	same
11	Jeffrey	30,139	same
12	Scott	28,565	same
13	Jason	27,272	up 12
14	Kevin	26,968	up 2
15	Steven	26,793	down 1
16	Joseph	26,714	down 1
17	Thomas	26,669	down 4
18	Eric	23,571	up 3
19	Daniel	23,521	down 1
20	Timothy	22,422	down 3
21	Charles	22,411	down 2
22	Anthony	21,176	down 2
23	Paul	20,196	down 1
24	Matthew	20,185	same
25	Kenneth	16,800	down 2
26	Gregory	16,286	same
27	Stephen	14,758	same
28	Todd	14,426	same
29	Ronald	13,618	same
30	Donald	12,397	same
31	Edward	12,275	up 1
32	Andrew	11,989	up 1
33	Patrick	11,730	down 2
34	Shawn	10,945	up 7
35	Gary	10,716	same
36	Douglas	10,409	down 2
37	Sean	10,341	same
38	Keith	9,615	down 2
39	Craig	9,364	same
40	George	8,911	down 2
41	Troy	8,448	up 1
42	Jonathan	8,194	up 4
43	Larry	8,104	down 3
44	Peter	8,056	down 1
45	Jerry	7,422	same
46	Dennis	7,312	down 2
47	Bradley	6,818	up 6
48	Frank	6,805	down 1
49	Raymond	6,788	up 1
50	Jeffery	6,701	down 2
51	Chad	6,628	up 18
52	Aaron	6,584	up 9
53	Bryan	6,452	down 2
54	Terry	6,186	down 2
55	Rodney	5,856	down 6
56	Jose	5,691	same
57	Tony	5,480	down 3
58	Russell	5,106	down 1
59	Randy	5,036	down 4
60	Marc	5,009	up 3
61	Roger	4,583	down 2
62	Samuel	4,558	up 2
63	Chris	4,460	up 3
64	Shane	4,451	up 23
65	Johnny	4,438	up 2
66	Carl	4,402	down 4
67	Gerald	4,399	down 2
68	Jon	4,371	same
69	Travis	4,321	up 44
70	Jeremy	4,318	up 77
71	Marcus	4,315	up 67
72	Adam	4,313	up 42
73	Phillip	4,275	up 1
74	Brent	4,269	up 18
75	Darren	4,197	down 15
76	Lance	4,160	up 27
77	Derek	4,147	up 32
78	Billy	4,121	down 1
79	Vincent	4,021	down 9
80	Wayne	4,006	down 5
81	Benjamin	3,926	up 10
82	Joel	3,839	down 2
83	Lawrence	3,824	down 12
84	Corey	3,814	down 26
85	Danny	3,768	down 12
86	Jimmy	3,660	down 7
87	Bobby	3,636	down 5
88	Curtis	3,615	down 7
89	Walter	3,584	down 5
90	Joe	3,570	down 7
91	Alan	3,553	down 15
92	Philip	3,520	down 6
93	Martin	3,500	down 15
94	Bruce	3,482	down 22
95	Juan	3,476	up 9
96	Derrick	3,446	up 11
97	Jay	3,415	down 2
98	Carlos	3,380	up 12
99	Brett	3,370	down 5
100	Randall	3,271	down 15

Biggest climbers in 1970

The names that gained the most ground within the top 1,000 compared with 1969.

Girls

Misti: up 239 places, from 842nd to 603rd
Shiela: up 212 places, from 926th to 714th
Alyson: up 209 places, from 897th to 688th
Marisol: up 174 places, from 485th to 311th
Ericka: up 171 places, from 555th to 384th
Anjanette: up 163 places, from 787th to 624th
Janene: up 163 places, from 847th to 684th
Latrice: up 161 places, from 822nd to 661st
Alexis: up 160 places, from 696th to 536th
Brandy: up 156 places, from 541st to 385th

Boys

Jade: up 236 places, from 995th to 759th
Rico: up 211 places, from 909th to 698th
Paris: up 198 places, from 949th to 751st
Beau: up 190 places, from 817th to 627th
Chet: up 185 places, from 836th to 651st
Shad: up 177 places, from 792nd to 615th
Aron: up 171 places, from 759th to 588th
Eli: up 167 places, from 697th to 530th
Jasen: up 164 places, from 968th to 804th
Brice: up 164 places, from 973rd to 809th

New to the top 1,000 in 1970

Girls

Terra, 619th (its first time ever)
Lashonda, 720th (its first time ever)
India, 761st (back after dropping out)
Tera, 764th (its first time ever)
Delilah, 814th (back after dropping out)
Toya, 825th (its first time ever)
Carissa, 827th (its first time ever)
Carie, 856th (back after dropping out)
Stefani, 890th (its first time ever)
Bobby, 894th (back after dropping out)

Boys

Jermaine, 622nd (its first time ever)
Damion, 712th (back after dropping out)
Malik, 732nd (its first time ever)
Jeromy, 815th (its first time ever)
Che, 839th (its first time ever)
Jammie, 842nd (its first time ever)
Bronson, 862nd (its first time ever)
Dax, 863rd (its first time ever)
Marquis, 865th (back after dropping out)
Brandt, 876th (its first time ever)

How spread out were names in 1970?

The ten most popular girls' names went to 16.3% of the girls counted in 1970, and the top ten boys' names to 26.8% of the boys. In 1950, those shares were 24.1% for girls and 33.8% for boys.

Source: Social Security Administration, national baby name data, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.