Born in 1985 · Millennials
Baby names of 1985
The Social Security name files, which cover every name given to at least 5 babies, list 3,569,038 babies born in 1985: 1,720,828 girls and 1,848,210 boys. Jessica and Michael were the most popular names, and 20.5% of all babies got a top-10 name, down from 21.7% in 1975. The name most tied to 1985 is Krystle: among girls, it was 71× as common that year as in the decades around it.
Quick facts
- Generation
- Millennials
- Born 1981–1996
- Babies on record
- 3,569,038
- 1,720,828 girls · 1,848,210 boys
- Different names
- 12,505
- for girls, plus 7,586 for boys (5+ babies each)
- Top-10 names
- 20.5%
- of babies got one · girls 18.0%, boys 22.8%
Top 10 names of 1985
- Jessica was the #1 name for girls every year from 1985 to 1990.
- Michael was the #1 name for boys every year from 1961 to 1998.
How many babies got a top-10 name?
In 1985, 20.5% 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 1985
These names were far more common in 1985 than in the decades around it: the multiplier compares each name's share of 1985 babies with its average share 6–25 years before and after.
| Name | Sex | Rank | Vs. nearby |
|---|---|---|---|
| Krystle | Girl | #111 | 71× |
| Sheena | Girl | #91 | 29× |
| Latoya | Girl | #81 | 8.5× |
| Krystal | Girl | #53 | 7.8× |
| Lindsay | Girl | #40 | 6.1× |
| Lindsey | Girl | #37 | 4.8× |
| Candice | Girl | #86 | 4.7× |
| Ashley | Girl | #2 | 4.7× |
| Lacy | Girl | #269 | 4.7× |
| Dustin | Boy | #41 | 4.5× |
Names that peaked in 1985
Each of these reached its highest share of US babies in 1985, the high point in records going back to 1880. Rank is for 1985.
| Name | Sex | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Joshua | Boy | #4 |
| Daniel | Boy | #5 |
| Ryan | Boy | #12 |
| Brandon | Boy | #13 |
| Jonathan | Boy | #17 |
| Megan | Girl | #10 |
| Rachel | Girl | #13 |
| Vanessa | Girl | #42 |
| Jenna | Girl | #50 |
| Krystal | Girl | #53 |
New to the top 1,000 in 1985
Names that made the national top 1,000 for the first time in 1985 (records go back to 1880).
Girls
- Cierra456 babies
- Sade393 babies
- Krystina365 babies
- Micaela365 babies
- Domonique353 babies
- Dominque314 babies
- Madison301 babies
- Ciera249 babies
Boys
- Jairo211 babies
- Durell208 babies
- Durrell149 babies
- Channing124 babies
- Jaymes113 babies
- Dakota109 babies
- Keaton109 babies
- Ulises107 babies
Where are they now?
Top-100 names of 1985 that have since dropped out of the top 1,000. Ranks are for 1985 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