Popular Names of 1974

The 20 most popular names given to female and to male babies born in 1974, as recorded, with each name’s rank in 2025. Tanya peaked among human females this year, at 46th.

Table 1. Female names, 1974
Rank	Name	Number	Rank in 2025
1	Jennifer	63,107	586
2	Amy	29,566	257
3	Michelle	25,826	465
4	Heather	23,179	1,264
5	Angela	22,803	408
6	Kimberly	22,427	303
7	Melissa	22,166	420
8	Lisa	19,778	991
9	Stephanie	16,984	557
10	Rebecca	15,163	350
11	Nicole	13,112	383
12	Elizabeth	12,259	17
13	Mary	11,738	125
14	Julie	11,360	873
15	Kelly	10,851	852
16	Christina	10,849	770
17	Jessica	10,656	665
18	Shannon	10,608	2,405
19	Christine	9,901	1,274
20	Sarah	9,788	90

Table 2. Male names, 1974
Rank	Name	Number	Rank in 2025
1	Michael	67,534	21
2	Jason	54,756	165
3	Christopher	48,585	68
4	David	41,786	35
5	James	41,334	6
6	John	37,612	23
7	Robert	37,005	92
8	Brian	34,449	339
9	Matthew	27,194	32
10	William	26,980	9
11	Daniel	23,833	22
12	Joseph	21,834	29
13	Eric	20,193	273
14	Kevin	19,461	221
15	Jeffrey	19,320	552
16	Mark	18,905	245
17	Richard	18,636	234
18	Scott	18,030	534
19	Steven	17,663	271
20	Thomas	17,268	34

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As recorded on the Social Security card application. Names given to fewer than five babies of a sex in a year are not published, so the file is a floor.