Born in 1966 · Gen X
Baby names of 1966
The Social Security name files, which cover every name given to at least 5 babies, list 3,475,638 babies born in 1966: 1,692,177 girls and 1,783,461 boys. Lisa and Michael were the most popular names, and 22.3% of all babies got a top-10 name, down from 26.6% in 1956. The name most tied to 1966 is Darrin: among boys, it was 11× as common that year as in the decades around it.
Quick facts
- Generation
- Gen X
- Born 1965–1980
- Babies on record
- 3,475,638
- 1,692,177 girls · 1,783,461 boys
- Different names
- 7,624
- for girls, plus 4,540 for boys (5+ babies each)
- Top-10 names
- 22.3%
- of babies got one · girls 16.0%, boys 28.2%
Top 10 names of 1966
- 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 1966, 22.3% 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 1966
These names were far more common in 1966 than in the decades around it: the multiplier compares each name's share of 1966 babies with its average share 6–25 years before and after.
| Name | Sex | Rank | Vs. nearby |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darrin | Boy | #119 | 11× |
| Darin | Boy | #134 | 7.4× |
| Kris | Girl | #289 | 6.4× |
| Tammy | Girl | #8 | 6.0× |
| Tracey | Girl | #69 | 5.8× |
| Lisa | Girl | #1 | 5.7× |
| Tracy | Boy | #98 | 5.5× |
| Darren | Boy | #63 | 4.9× |
| Kimberley | Girl | #171 | 4.8× |
| Kim | Girl | #43 | 4.8× |
Names that peaked in 1966
Each of these reached its highest share of US babies in 1966, the high point in records going back to 1880. Rank is for 1966.
| Name | Sex | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Jeffrey | Boy | #9 |
| Keith | Boy | #32 |
| Maria | Girl | #44 |
| Jill | Girl | #49 |
| Shelly | Girl | #89 |
| Tracy | Boy | #98 |
| Kurt | Boy | #110 |
| Cary | Boy | #264 |
| Dewayne | Boy | #304 |
| Danette | Girl | #416 |
New to the top 1,000 in 1966
Names that made the national top 1,000 for the first time in 1966 (records go back to 1880).
Where are they now?
Top-100 names of 1966 that have since dropped out of the top 1,000. Ranks are for 1966 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