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Top 1980s Baby Names

The top baby names of the 1980s are the names of the new moms and dads of today. This is the decade that saw the peak of names such as Brittany, Allison, and Amber for girls, and Derek, Justin, and Brett for boys.

Along with Allison and Justin, other 1980s baby names that remain in the US Top 250 include Brandon, Emily, Jeremy, Kimberly, Lauren, Nathan, Rachel, and Ryan. The names that have dropped the most in popularity include Chad, Heather, Shannon, and Lindsay.

Sourced from the 1980s US Top 100, here is a list of popular names from the 1980s that which are relatively rare for babies today. But you'll probably recognize these 1980s names as the names of the other moms and dads in your childbirth class!

Jordan

Meaning: flowing down

Origin:English from Hebrew
517
Ryan

Meaning: little king

Origin:Irish
396
Michelle

Meaning: who is like God

Origin:French variation of Michael
529
Danielle

Meaning: God is my judge

Origin:French feminine variation of Daniel, Hebrew,"God is my judge"
582
Shawn

Meaning: God is gracious

Origin:Spelling variation of Sean
1627
Timothy

Meaning: honoring God

Origin:Greek
558
Monica

Meaning: advisor

Origin:Latin
978
Dustin

Meaning: brave warrior, or Thor's stone

Origin:Norse
638
Alicia

Meaning: noble

Origin:Spanish variation of Alice
391
Tiffany

Meaning: of divine manifestation

Origin:English variation of Theophania, Greek
1241
Nicole

Meaning: people of victory

Origin:French feminine variation of Nicholas, Greek
421
Kathryn

Meaning: pure

Origin:Variation of Katherine and Catherine, Greek
989
Christine

Meaning: Christian

Origin:French variation of Christina
850
Christina

Meaning: a Christian

Origin:Greek
435
Heather Named after the plant Heather, which are a v...
Origin:English botanical name
524
Melissa

Meaning: honeybee

Origin:Greek
541
Kelly

Meaning: war

Origin:Irish
1573
Kimberly

Meaning: Cyneburga's meadow

Origin:English surname
1590
Lauren

Meaning: from Laurentum or bay laurel

Origin:English from Latin
932
Brett

Meaning: from Brittany

Origin:Celtic
1400