PARENTS IN THE SEVENTIES CREATED A WHOLE NEW WAVE OF BABY NAMES THAT ARE STILL POPULAR TODAY

PEOPLE

 

Parents in the 1970s Created a New Wave of Baby Names That Are Still Popular Today

By Kayla Grant  Published on October 2, 2026 11:22AM EDT

 

The 1970s brought in a new wave of baby names.

 

Society was going through a social revolution during the 1960s, which left a lasting impact for decades to come. Amid all the bellbottoms and disco music of the ‘70s, new parents of the time were charting their own path with a new wave of baby names, including some that have stood the test of time.

 

Naming expert Laura Wattenberg told Today that the era marked a fresh start on everything from tradition to fashion.

 

“The late 1960s were a time of social revolution, including [the] baby name revolution,” Wattenberg said. “Our culture’s whole approach to naming started to change: from tradition to fashion, from conformity to individuality. The 1970s were the first decade of this new name world.”

 

Looking back at names of that era, Wattenberg shared that the changes may not seem so out of the ordinary today. However, at the time, the rising popularity of specific names, like Brian and Heather, was revolutionary.

 

“From the perspective of today, it looks like baby steps. The names of the ‘70s still seem traditional,” Wattenberg explained. “But from a historical perspective, names like Brian and Heather outpacing William and Mary was unprecedented.”

 

According to the Social Security Administration, the five most popular boys’ names of the decade were Michael, Christopher, Jason, David and James. As for the girls, the most popular names were Jennifer, Amy, Melissa, Michelle and Kimberly.

 

Wattenberg told the outlet that the popular boys’ names of the era exuded a “laid-back confidence,” as seen in names like Jason. For the girls, she says there was a mix of “punchy” names, like Amy, or “longer names with full, soft sounds,” like Michelle.

 

While the names are pretty common in society now, Wattenberg said they were unique and ahead of their time back in the 70s.

 

“The hot sounds of the 1930s like Donald and Gerald, Joan and Joyce plummeted out of fashion,” she told Today. “Remember that the parents of the ‘70s all grew up in a world of ultra-conservative naming, so these styles felt fresher and more daring than we may think. They were definitely rejecting the names of their own parents’ generation.”