Born in 1971 · Gen X
Baby names of 1971
The Social Security name files, which cover every name given to at least 5 babies, list 3,432,270 babies born in 1971: 1,663,823 girls and 1,768,447 boys. Jennifer and Michael were the most popular names, and 21.8% of all babies got a top-10 name, down from 22.9% in 1961. The name most tied to 1971 is Tricia: among girls, it was 8.4× as common that year as in the decades around it.
Quick facts
- Generation
- Gen X
- Born 1965–1980
- Babies on record
- 3,432,270
- 1,663,823 girls · 1,768,447 boys
- Different names
- 9,645
- for girls, plus 5,655 for boys (5+ babies each)
- Top-10 names
- 21.8%
- of babies got one · girls 16.8%, boys 26.5%
Top 10 names of 1971
- Jennifer was the #1 name for girls every year from 1970 to 1984.
- Michael was the #1 name for boys every year from 1961 to 1998.
How many babies got a top-10 name?
In 1971, 21.8% 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 1971
These names were far more common in 1971 than in the decades around it: the multiplier compares each name's share of 1971 babies with its average share 6–25 years before and after.
| Name | Sex | Rank | Vs. nearby |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tricia | Girl | #109 | 8.4× |
| Tonia | Girl | #212 | 6.9× |
| Tracie | Girl | #149 | 6.6× |
| Traci | Girl | #116 | 5.7× |
| Shannon | Boy | #106 | 5.7× |
| Tonya | Girl | #45 | 5.6× |
| Stacy | Boy | #231 | 5.6× |
| Tracy | Girl | #13 | 5.4× |
| Stacie | Girl | #131 | 5.4× |
| Tracey | Girl | #74 | 5.2× |
Names that peaked in 1971
Each of these reached its highest share of US babies in 1971, the high point in records going back to 1880. Rank is for 1971.
| Name | Sex | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Scott | Boy | #10 |
| Stacy | Girl | #32 |
| Stacey | Girl | #41 |
| Dana | Girl | #44 |
| Tricia | Girl | #109 |
| Stacie | Girl | #131 |
| Andre | Boy | #129 |
| Kerry | Girl | #145 |
| Jody | Boy | #161 |
| Ginger | Girl | #187 |
New to the top 1,000 in 1971
Names that made the national top 1,000 for the first time in 1971 (records go back to 1880).
Girls
- Yesenia527 babies
- Candida222 babies
- Tarsha212 babies
- Tameka210 babies
- Ayanna194 babies
- Jenni175 babies
- Brandie170 babies
- Shantel169 babies
Boys
- Tate113 babies
- Germaine95 babies
- Nigel95 babies
- Jerod93 babies
- Christoper90 babies
- Tristan90 babies
- Chadd89 babies
- Jarod89 babies
Where are they now?
Top-100 names of 1971 that have since dropped out of the top 1,000. Ranks are for 1971 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