US Most Popular Male and Female Baby Names in 1981

Updated on December 2, 2025.

Data Source: Social Security Administration (SSA).

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US Most Popular Male Baby Names in 1981

In 1981, the most popular name for baby boys in the US was Michael, with a count of 68,759 boys out of a total of 1,791,317 registered names of baby boys (i.e. 3.84% of the total number of new-born baby boys in the US in 1981). The second most popular boy name was Christopher (50,221 boys, 2.80% of total). The third most popular boy name was Matthew (43,328 boys, 2.42% of total).

The table below below shows the top 1000 most popular male baby names in the US in 1981. You can click on a name to see the trend of popularity in the US over the years.

US Most Popular Female Baby Names in 1981

In 1981, the most popular name for baby girls in the US was Jennifer, with a count of 57,048 girls out of a total of 1,668,058 registered names of baby girls (i.e. 3.42% of the total number of new-born baby girls in the US in 1981). The second most popular girl name was Jessica (42,532 girls, 2.55% of total). The third most popular girl name was Amanda (34,373 girls, 2.06% of total).

The table below below shows the top 1000 most popular female baby names in the US in 1981. You can click on a name to see the trend of popularity in the US over the years.