Names that Peaked in 1978
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About this list
The names
Michael
Hebrew
"who is like God?"
Michael was the Number 1 American boys' name for almost half a century. While Michael has moved out of the Top 10 baby boy names , it's still widely used. How has Michael racked up this phenomenal…
Jason
Greek
"to heal"
Jason, the Number 3 name for the entire decade of the 1970s -- thus the title of our original baby-naming book, Beyond Jennifer & Jason -- is more likely to be dad's name now than baby's, but it's…
Andrea
Feminine variation of Andrew, Greek
"strong and manly"
Andrea — a feminine form of Andrew (and a male name in several European cultures) — comes with a good selection of pronunciations — ANN-dree-a, AHN-dree-a, or ahn-DRAY-a — each with a slightly…
Damien
French from Greek
"to tame, subdue"
Converting Damian to Damien – or Julian to Julien or Lucian to Lucien – adds a certain je ne sais quoi to names. But most people in English speaking areas will still pronounce this the same as the…
Melissa
Greek
"honeybee"
Melissa derives from the Greek word mélissa , meaning "bee," which was taken from the word for honey, meli . In Greek mythology, Melissa was a nymph who nursed the infant god Zeus with honey. Melissa…
Jennifer
Cornish variation of Guinevere, Welsh
"white shadow, white wave"
Jennifer is the Cornish variation of Guinevere, which ultimately derived from the Welsh name Gwenhwyfar. As such, it is connected to the queen of Arthurian legend, and sharees the same meaning of…
Aron
Hebrew and Spanish variation of Aaron
This shortened variation of Aaron—it was Elvis's middle name—is now a widely used choice.
January
English month name from Latin
"doorway"
Thanks to two cultural influences, January has joined March, April, June and August as a plausible month name. The first was a character named January Wayne in a bestselling 1973 Jacqueline Susann…
Chrissy
Diminutive of Christina or Christine, Latin and Greek
"Christian"
This slightly unusual spelling of the '80s cheerleader name is now associated with two appealing young celebrities: model Chrissy Teigen and This Is Us star Chrissy Metz. Both have Christine on their…
Christel
Christel is a feminine name with Germanic origins, functioning as a diminutive form of Christina or Christine. Popular throughout Germany, Scandinavia, and the Netherlands, it represents a variation…
Janelle
American, modern elaboration of Jane
It's far cooler to drop the first syllable and go for Elle.
Kristi
Kristi is a feminine name primarily used as a diminutive form of Christina or Kristina, derived from the Greek word 'Christos,' meaning 'anointed one.' This short, sweet variation gained particular…
Kristy
Diminutive of all variations of Kristina
"a Christian"
Kristy (and Kristi and Kristie) are the ultimate kool girl nicknames of the sixties and seventies, not kwite as kute any more.
Lakeisha
Modern invented name
Perhaps the best known of the La names that peaked in the 1980s, it stems from the biblical Keziah, plus the gallic La prefix that rose to prominence centuries ago among the Creole people and Free…
Shanna
Shanna is a feminine name with multiple possible origins. Most commonly, it's considered an Americanized variation of the Irish name Shannah, meaning 'wise' or a feminine form of Shane, meaning 'God…
Shanta
Indian
"peace"
This is the Indian version of the Hindi word meaning peace.
Ariane
Ariane is a feminine name of Greek origin, representing the French form of Ariadne. In Greek mythology, Ariadne was the daughter of King Minos who helped Theseus escape the Labyrinth. The name…
Brandy
English from Dutch
"burnt wine"
The alcohol-laced member of the Randy-Candy-Mandy sorority of 1970s to 80s nickname names; now pretty much on the wagon.
Shaunna
Shaunna is a feminine name that emerged as a variant spelling of Shauna, which itself is the feminine form of Shaun/Sean, meaning 'God is gracious' with Irish and Hebrew roots. This particular…
Shaun
Spelling variation of Sean
Shaun is the least popular spelling of the once-wildly popular name, more usually spelled Sean or Shawn. Parents who have a reason to choose this name now would (and should) most likely go with the…
