Most Popular Baby Names of 1974
Top 100 girl and boy names, Social Security records
Jennifer and Michael were the most popular baby names of 1974 in the US: 63,107 girls were named Jennifer and 67,534 boys were named Michael, about 1 in 23 girls and 1 in 23 boys born that year. It was Jennifer's 5th year in a row at #1 for girls (since 1970), and it was Michael's 14th year in a row at #1 for boys (since 1961).
Social Security records list 1,467,534 girls and 1,572,334 boys born in 1974, with 10,245 different girl names and 6,002 boy names. A name is listed for a year only when at least 5 babies of one sex got it.
What Changed From 1973
- The girls' top 10 had the same names as in 1973; the boys' top 10 had the same names as in 1973.
- Biggest climbers in the girls' top 100: Amber (#130 to #92), Erin (#79 to #47) and Emily (#99 to #69).
- Biggest climbers in the boys' top 100: Jacob (#122 to #88), Joshua (#42 to #29) and Kyle (#110 to #97).
- 4 girl names and 4 boy names left the top 100, among them Kristina (#97 to #101) and Shannon (#100 to #101).
- 1,109 names appeared in the records for the first time.
Top 100 Baby Names of 1974
Ranked by the babies given each name; the last column is the name's rank in 1973, among names of the same sex. Tied names share a rank.
Top 100 Girl Names of 1974
| # | Name | Babies | In 1973 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jennifer | 63,107 | #1 |
| 2 | Amy | 29,566 | #2 |
| 3 | Michelle | 25,826 | #3 |
| 4 | Heather | 23,179 | #8 |
| 5 | Angela | 22,803 | #7 |
| 6 | Kimberly | 22,427 | #4 |
| 7 | Melissa | 22,166 | #6 |
| 8 | Lisa | 19,778 | #5 |
| 9 | Stephanie | 16,984 | #9 |
| 10 | Rebecca | 15,163 | #10 |
| 11 | Nicole | 13,112 | #11 |
| 12 | Elizabeth | 12,259 | #13 |
| 13 | Mary | 11,738 | #14 |
| 14 | Julie | 11,360 | #12 |
| 15 | Kelly | 10,851 | #18 |
| 16 | Christina | 10,849 | #16 |
| 17 | Jessica | 10,656 | #34 |
| 18 | Shannon | 10,608 | #22 |
| 19 | Christine | 9,901 | #17 |
| 20 | Sarah | 9,788 | #35 |
| 21 | Laura | 9,716 | #19 |
| 22 | Dawn | 9,417 | #21 |
| 23 | Tracy | 9,286 | #20 |
| 24 | Tammy | 9,238 | #15 |
| 25 | Tina | 8,668 | #24 |
| 26 | Karen | 8,643 | #23 |
| 27 | Susan | 8,470 | #25 |
| 28 | April | 8,454 | #33 |
| 29 | Patricia | 8,036 | #27 |
| 30 | Lori | 7,960 | #28 |
| 31 | Maria | 7,804 | #31 |
| 32 | Wendy | 7,564 | #29 |
| 33 | Cynthia | 7,557 | #26 |
| 34 | Amanda | 7,473 | #51 |
| 35 | Andrea | 7,472 | #30 |
| 36 | Rachel | 7,399 | #42 |
| 37 | Tonya | 6,878 | #36 |
| 38 | Stacy | 6,741 | #32 |
| 39 | Tara | 6,657 | #37 |
| 40 | Danielle | 6,629 | #49 |
| 41 | Tiffany | 6,482 | #52 |
| 42 | Carrie | 6,436 | #46 |
| 43 | Monica | 6,281 | #40 |
| 44 | Sandra | 6,270 | #39 |
| 45 | Kristen | 6,052 | #58 |
| 46 | Tanya | 5,997 | #50 |
| 47 | Erin | 5,868 | #79 |
| 48 | Stacey | 5,803 | #41 |
| 49 | Crystal | 5,622 | #48 |
| 50 | Michele | 5,587 | #44 |
| 51 | Melanie | 5,483 | #43 |
| 52 | Teresa | 5,397 | #45 |
| 53 | Denise | 5,395 | #38 |
| 54 | Pamela | 5,272 | #47 |
| 55 | Dana | 5,158 | #59 |
| 56 | Holly | 5,144 | #54 |
| 57 | Christy | 5,067 | #73 |
| 58 | Jill | 5,061 | #62 |
| 59 | Brenda | 4,830 | #53 |
| 60 | Heidi | 4,683 | #65 |
| 61 | Sara | 4,650 | #89 |
| 62 | Katherine | 4,530 | #64 |
| 63 | Robin | 4,525 | #60 |
| 63 | Tamara | 4,525 | #66 |
| 65 | Leslie | 4,463 | #75 |
| 66 | Misty | 4,439 | #90 |
| 67 | Donna | 4,354 | #55 |
| 68 | Deborah | 4,343 | #56 |
| 69 | Emily | 4,329 | #99 |
| 70 | Sharon | 4,276 | #57 |
| 71 | Veronica | 4,226 | #71 |
| 72 | Kristin | 4,218 | #78 |
| 73 | Catherine | 4,184 | #67 |
| 74 | Erica | 4,121 | #81 |
| 75 | Linda | 4,077 | #61 |
| 76 | Kathleen | 3,953 | #68 |
| 77 | Barbara | 3,906 | #63 |
| 78 | Nancy | 3,891 | #77 |
| 79 | Theresa | 3,857 | #69 |
| 80 | Brandy | 3,832 | #82 |
| 81 | Melinda | 3,752 | #72 |
| 82 | Anna | 3,622 | #86 |
| 83 | Jacqueline | 3,573 | #88 |
| 84 | Gina | 3,560 | #83 |
| 85 | Renee | 3,528 | #80 |
| 86 | Rhonda | 3,525 | #70 |
| 87 | Diana | 3,513 | #85 |
| 88 | Cheryl | 3,496 | #74 |
| 89 | Sherry | 3,436 | #76 |
| 90 | Alicia | 3,434 | #91 |
| 91 | Jodi | 3,306 | #100 |
| 92 | Amber | 3,273 | #130 |
| 93 | Valerie | 3,181 | #96 |
| 94 | Debra | 3,129 | #84 |
| 95 | Margaret | 3,087 | #94 |
| 96 | Paula | 3,061 | #87 |
| 97 | Jamie | 3,020 | #103 |
| 98 | Kathryn | 2,991 | #107 |
| 99 | Allison | 2,959 | #105 |
| 100 | Ann | 2,928 | #93 |
Top 100 Boy Names of 1974
| # | Name | Babies | In 1973 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael | 67,534 | #1 |
| 2 | Jason | 54,756 | #3 |
| 3 | Christopher | 48,585 | #2 |
| 4 | David | 41,786 | #5 |
| 5 | James | 41,334 | #4 |
| 6 | John | 37,612 | #6 |
| 7 | Robert | 37,005 | #7 |
| 8 | Brian | 34,449 | #8 |
| 9 | Matthew | 27,194 | #10 |
| 10 | William | 26,980 | #9 |
| 11 | Daniel | 23,833 | #11 |
| 12 | Joseph | 21,834 | #12 |
| 13 | Eric | 20,193 | #13 |
| 14 | Kevin | 19,461 | #14 |
| 15 | Jeffrey | 19,320 | #17 |
| 16 | Mark | 18,905 | #15 |
| 17 | Richard | 18,636 | #16 |
| 18 | Scott | 18,030 | #18 |
| 19 | Steven | 17,663 | #20 |
| 20 | Thomas | 17,268 | #19 |
| 21 | Anthony | 16,391 | #21 |
| 22 | Timothy | 15,890 | #22 |
| 23 | Charles | 15,151 | #23 |
| 24 | Jeremy | 13,295 | #33 |
| 25 | Ryan | 13,179 | #30 |
| 26 | Chad | 12,788 | #25 |
| 27 | Paul | 12,310 | #24 |
| 28 | Andrew | 11,778 | #29 |
| 29 | Joshua | 11,599 | #42 |
| 30 | Shawn | 11,438 | #27 |
| 31 | Gregory | 10,826 | #26 |
| 32 | Aaron | 10,507 | #34 |
| 33 | Jonathan | 10,230 | #31 |
| 34 | Kenneth | 10,143 | #28 |
| 35 | Stephen | 10,101 | #32 |
| 36 | Adam | 8,421 | #45 |
| 37 | Sean | 8,290 | #36 |
| 38 | Patrick | 8,137 | #37 |
| 39 | Todd | 7,845 | #35 |
| 40 | Edward | 7,817 | #39 |
| 41 | Donald | 7,758 | #38 |
| 42 | Ronald | 7,667 | #40 |
| 43 | Justin | 7,429 | #51 |
| 44 | Keith | 7,390 | #41 |
| 45 | Bryan | 7,226 | #43 |
| 46 | Benjamin | 7,183 | #55 |
| 47 | Jose | 6,720 | #49 |
| 48 | Gary | 6,444 | #44 |
| 49 | George | 6,283 | #46 |
| 50 | Peter | 5,940 | #52 |
| 51 | Brandon | 5,859 | #58 |
| 52 | Nathan | 5,844 | #63 |
| 53 | Douglas | 5,843 | #47 |
| 54 | Travis | 5,702 | #53 |
| 55 | Larry | 5,694 | #50 |
| 56 | Shane | 5,655 | #54 |
| 57 | Craig | 5,539 | #48 |
| 58 | Bradley | 5,173 | #62 |
| 59 | Dennis | 4,880 | #56 |
| 60 | Samuel | 4,672 | #66 |
| 61 | Jerry | 4,664 | #57 |
| 62 | Raymond | 4,577 | #60 |
| 63 | Troy | 4,563 | #59 |
| 64 | Juan | 4,428 | #67 |
| 65 | Frank | 4,365 | #61 |
| 66 | Jeffery | 4,363 | #64 |
| 67 | Jesse | 4,105 | #75 |
| 68 | Jamie | 4,086 | #70 |
| 69 | Terry | 4,027 | #65 |
| 70 | Phillip | 3,934 | #71 |
| 71 | Carlos | 3,871 | #74 |
| 72 | Rodney | 3,849 | #68 |
| 73 | Marcus | 3,801 | #72 |
| 74 | Derek | 3,636 | #69 |
| 75 | Joel | 3,491 | #73 |
| 76 | Brent | 3,413 | #80 |
| 77 | Corey | 3,382 | #89 |
| 78 | Billy | 3,365 | #76 |
| 79 | Randy | 3,342 | #79 |
| 80 | Nicholas | 3,218 | #85 |
| 81 | Tony | 3,216 | #78 |
| 82 | Antonio | 3,178 | #92 |
| 83 | Johnny | 3,169 | #82 |
| 84 | Russell | 3,168 | #77 |
| 85 | Marc | 3,108 | #81 |
| 86 | Philip | 2,967 | #91 |
| 87 | Derrick | 2,958 | #87 |
| 88 | Jacob | 2,957 | #122 |
| 89 | Carl | 2,895 | #90 |
| 90 | Erik | 2,881 | #86 |
| 91 | Danny | 2,859 | #83 |
| 92 | Bobby | 2,792 | #93 |
| 93 | Roger | 2,754 | #84 |
| 94 | Jon | 2,750 | #94 |
| 95 | Brett | 2,677 | #88 |
| 96 | Victor | 2,621 | #103 |
| 97 | Kyle | 2,598 | #110 |
| 98 | Curtis | 2,589 | #98 |
| 99 | Jimmy | 2,568 | #95 |
| 100 | Lawrence | 2,543 | #104 |
Open a name to see how many people with it are alive today and how its popularity changed. See the year before, 1973, or the year after, 1975, the top 100 of the whole 1970s, or let the random name generator pick names from the 1970s. For more on how the top names changed, read Most Popular Names by Decade.