Born in 1962 · Baby Boomers
Baby names of 1962
The Social Security name files, which cover every name given to at least 5 babies, list 4,035,375 babies born in 1962: 1,966,603 girls and 2,068,772 boys. Lisa and Michael were the most popular names, and 22.5% of all babies got a top-10 name, down from 28.6% in 1952. The name most tied to 1962 is Pam: among girls, it was 12× as common that year as in the decades around it.
Quick facts
- Generation
- Baby Boomers
- Born 1946–1964
- Babies on record
- 4,035,375
- 1,966,603 girls · 2,068,772 boys
- Different names
- 7,584
- for girls, plus 4,631 for boys (5+ babies each)
- Top-10 names
- 22.5%
- of babies got one · girls 15.9%, boys 28.8%
Top 10 names of 1962
- Lisa was the #1 name for girls every year from 1962 to 1969.
- Michael was the #1 name for boys every year from 1961 to 1998.
How many babies got a top-10 name?
In 1962, 22.5% of babies were given one of that year's 10 most popular names. Across all years, that share fell from 29.0% in 1935 to 7.5% in 2025.
Names that sound like 1962
These names were far more common in 1962 than in the decades around it: the multiplier compares each name's share of 1962 babies with its average share 6–25 years before and after.
| Name | Sex | Rank | Vs. nearby |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pam | Girl | #150 | 12× |
| Jeff | Boy | #44 | 8.9× |
| Debbie | Girl | #32 | 8.8× |
| Doug | Boy | #170 | 8.2× |
| Tim | Boy | #72 | 7.3× |
| Kim | Girl | #37 | 6.9× |
| Chris | Girl | #218 | 6.2× |
| Greg | Boy | #77 | 5.9× |
| Shari | Girl | #146 | 5.6× |
| Lori | Girl | #11 | 5.2× |
Names that peaked in 1962
Each of these reached its highest share of US babies in 1962, the high point in records going back to 1880. Rank is for 1962.
| Name | Sex | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Gregory | Boy | #21 |
| Teresa | Girl | #18 |
| Laurie | Girl | #42 |
| Jeff | Boy | #44 |
| Jeffery | Boy | #45 |
| Tony | Boy | #52 |
| Glenn | Boy | #55 |
| Barry | Boy | #61 |
| Carla | Girl | #78 |
| Curtis | Boy | #73 |
New to the top 1,000 in 1962
Names that made the national top 1,000 for the first time in 1962 (records go back to 1880).
Where are they now?
Top-100 names of 1962 that have since dropped out of the top 1,000. Ranks are for 1962 and 2025.
Girls
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data