State roster

Top names in Illinois

The names most likely to appear on 1979 Illinois birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 158,450 Illinois births in 1979 across 2,371 distinct names.

Distinctively Illinois

Names that rank far higher here than they do nationally — the ones that say Illinois more than they say America.

#97Maurice#160 nationally
#85Colleen#133 nationally
#96Miguel#137 nationally
#78Beth#118 nationally
#94Jorge#134 nationally
#45Kathleen#84 nationally
#87Meghan#121 nationally
#64Gina#96 nationally
#84Anne#115 nationally
#70Brett#98 nationally
#94Victoria#119 nationally

Girls

#1Jennifer2,906US #1
#2Melissa1,676US #2
#3Amanda1,560US #3
#4Nicole1,298US #9
#5Michelle1,175US #10
#6Sarah1,144US #6
#7Amy1,111US #5
#8Elizabeth1,074US #11
#9Jessica1,070US #4
#10Angela1,027US #8
#11Heather986US #7
#12Kelly937US #16
#13Lisa930US #13
#14Kimberly842US #12
#15Christina750US #14
#16Rebecca745US #17
#17Stephanie736US #15
#18Laura715US #20
#19Jamie687US #19
#20Erin649US #21
#21Tiffany598US #28
#22Megan588US #31
#23Julie561US #29
#24Mary536US #24
#25Christine515US #35
#26Andrea506US #26
#27Shannon493US #25
#28Rachel489US #27
#29Maria480US #37
#30Crystal462US #18
#31Katherine459US #36
#32Sara458US #30
#33Erica442US #32
#34Amber429US #22
#35April401US #23
#36Danielle399US #33
#37Emily379US #34
#38Carrie349US #41
#39Patricia349US #44
#40Kathryn344US #50
#41Jill336US #52
#42Monica324US #40
#43Tracy320US #49
#44Dawn317US #57
#45Kathleen306US #84
#46Samantha298US #66
#47Tara298US #38
#48Stacy296US #43
#49Karen279US #46
#50Susan279US #51
#51Kristin275US #73
#52Brandy274US #39
#53Veronica264US #76
#54Natalie258US #68
#55Tina252US #58
#56Lauren251US #45
#57Jacqueline249US #80
#58Sandra248US #77
#59Cynthia247US #55
#60Dana241US #54
#61Catherine239US #78
#62Katie236US #63
#63Courtney232US #71
#64Gina229US #96
#65Stacey229US #60
#66Alicia225US #47
#67Kristina225US #74
#68Anna224US #59
#69Kristen215US #62
#70Leslie206US #65
#71Holly204US #48
#72Brandi203US #61
#73Kristy198US #56
#74Lindsay198US #88
#75Melinda197US #82
#76Allison196US #70
#77Heidi191US #83
#78Beth186US #118
#79Renee185US #101
#80Nichole184US #103
#81Cheryl183US #94
#82Misty183US #42
#83Melanie180US #53
#84Anne178US #115
#85Colleen178US #133
#86Denise175US #92
#87Meghan175US #121
#88Theresa175US #100
#89Katrina173US #99
#90Margaret171US #108
#91Michele171US #105
#92Teresa170US #87
#93Vanessa170US #75
#94Victoria170US #119
#95Valerie169US #89
#96Brooke167US #85
#97Nancy167US #107
#98Pamela165US #90
#99Wendy161US #64
#100Mindy160US #81

Boys

#1Michael3,720US #1
#2Jason2,415US #3
#3Christopher2,239US #2
#4David2,129US #4
#5Matthew1,835US #6
#6James1,828US #5
#7Robert1,732US #8
#8John1,701US #7
#9Brian1,676US #10
#10Daniel1,670US #12
#11Joseph1,605US #11
#12Joshua1,459US #9
#13Nicholas1,368US #15
#14Ryan1,275US #14
#15Eric1,234US #17
#16Timothy1,169US #18
#17William1,116US #13
#18Anthony1,063US #21
#19Kevin1,023US #19
#20Andrew1,017US #20
#21Adam961US #23
#22Jeffrey937US #24
#23Thomas927US #26
#24Scott879US #29
#25Steven846US #27
#26Jeremy835US #16
#27Richard810US #25
#28Mark752US #30
#29Justin712US #22
#30Charles695US #28
#31Aaron660US #32
#32Paul646US #34
#33Patrick581US #39
#34Jonathan546US #31
#35Benjamin536US #33
#36Jose530US #44
#37Nathan519US #37
#38Gregory510US #42
#39Kenneth492US #41
#40Brandon477US #35
#41Chad457US #38
#42Bradley436US #47
#43Peter398US #53
#44Edward381US #48
#45Sean380US #49
#46Stephen376US #40
#47Keith374US #52
#48Jacob368US #45
#49Shawn346US #43
#50Bryan343US #46
#51Juan343US #61
#52Travis332US #36
#53Todd318US #60
#54Donald316US #51
#55George299US #57
#56Douglas296US #58
#57Kyle293US #56
#58Erik290US #66
#59Ronald281US #54
#60Phillip278US #68
#61Corey258US #63
#62Antonio253US #79
#63Marcus243US #76
#64Frank240US #78
#65Shaun234US #64
#66Larry231US #69
#67Samuel231US #55
#68Derek224US #72
#69Jesse221US #50
#70Brett216US #98
#71Dennis215US #75
#72Raymond211US #70
#73Carlos210US #73
#74Craig210US #77
#75Zachary210US #74
#76Joel209US #71
#77Dustin206US #62
#78Shane205US #67
#79Luis196US #102
#80Curtis190US #91
#81Cory188US #82
#82Mario186US #103
#83Jeffery183US #87
#84Derrick182US #80
#85Alexander180US #94
#86Philip180US #83
#87Jared178US #65
#88Jeremiah177US #81
#89Nathaniel172US #95
#90Carl168US #100
#91Brent167US #84
#92Gary167US #59
#93Jerry164US #85
#94Jorge159US #134
#95Victor154US #105
#96Miguel148US #137
#97Maurice146US #160
#98Troy145US #99
#99Jesus144US #112
#100Randy143US #86

On the move since 1978

Rising

↑29Lauren#56
↑28Leslie#70
↑24Allison#76
↑23Lindsay#74
↑23Brett#70
↑21Samantha#46
↑21Katie#62
↑16Travis#52

Falling

↓26Nancy#97
↓19Theresa#88
↓18Vanessa#93
↓16Valerie#95
↓16Craig#74
↓16Philip#86
↓14Stacey#65
↓14Michele#91

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1978 rankings.