State roster

Top names in Illinois

The names most likely to appear on 1981 Illinois birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 159,787 Illinois births in 1981 across 2,350 distinct names.

Distinctively Illinois

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

#96Colleen#138 nationally
#44Kathleen#82 nationally
#88Lawrence#125 nationally
#71Theresa#100 nationally
#99Jorge#128 nationally
#76Victor#104 nationally
#77Anne#105 nationally
#97Beth#125 nationally
#42Latoya#69 nationally
#79Gina#106 nationally
#80Margaret#107 nationally
#70Denise#96 nationally

Girls

#1Jennifer2,843US #1
#2Jessica1,651US #2
#3Amanda1,574US #3
#4Sarah1,540US #4
#5Melissa1,355US #5
#6Nicole1,311US #7
#7Elizabeth1,202US #9
#8Michelle1,024US #11
#9Amy994US #6
#10Stephanie959US #8
#11Tiffany911US #14
#12Rebecca874US #12
#13Angela784US #15
#14Kimberly766US #13
#15Lisa766US #18
#16Erin753US #19
#17Heather748US #10
#18Laura727US #21
#19Kelly697US #23
#20Christina629US #17
#21Rachel601US #22
#22Mary598US #27
#23Sara595US #26
#24Kristin587US #31
#25Jamie571US #28
#26Crystal568US #16
#27Amber563US #20
#28Megan561US #33
#29Andrea559US #24
#30Katherine506US #39
#31Julie503US #37
#32Emily484US #29
#33Erica474US #36
#34Danielle469US #30
#35Maria437US #40
#36Kristen415US #38
#37Lauren402US #35
#38Christine399US #42
#39Shannon399US #32
#40April383US #25
#41Kathryn383US #48
#42Latoya335US #69
#43Samantha333US #51
#44Kathleen332US #82
#45Katie331US #44
#46Natalie314US #60
#47Jacqueline294US #67
#48Brooke288US #52
#49Courtney287US #43
#50Patricia286US #53
#51Monica283US #49
#52Lindsay280US #47
#53Carrie277US #55
#54Alicia271US #46
#55Brandy265US #41
#56Tara256US #45
#57Karen251US #64
#58Veronica250US #68
#59Jill246US #78
#60Anna243US #54
#61Ashley243US #34
#62Catherine236US #73
#63Susan231US #71
#64Dawn227US #79
#65Sandra222US #74
#66Kristina221US #72
#67Victoria217US #87
#68Cynthia216US #59
#69Leslie216US #56
#70Denise215US #96
#71Theresa214US #100
#72Vanessa214US #62
#73Tina213US #80
#74Lindsey211US #58
#75Dana208US #70
#76Brandi205US #50
#77Anne204US #105
#78Diana200US #75
#79Gina199US #106
#80Margaret196US #107
#81Pamela196US #76
#82Stacy195US #65
#83Allison194US #57
#84Julia192US #88
#85Nancy192US #101
#86Monique191US #103
#87Erika187US #93
#88Tracy186US #77
#89Valerie184US #89
#90Candice183US #86
#91Heidi179US #84
#92Katrina179US #95
#93Holly177US #63
#94Meghan176US #116
#95Stacey176US #83
#96Colleen169US #138
#97Beth167US #125
#98Melanie167US #66
#99Renee166US #98
#100Tanya164US #92

Boys

#1Michael3,525US #1
#2Matthew2,294US #3
#3Christopher2,201US #2
#4David2,024US #5
#5Jason2,021US #4
#6James1,730US #7
#7Robert1,730US #9
#8Daniel1,699US #10
#9John1,663US #8
#10Joseph1,642US #11
#11Joshua1,624US #6
#12Brian1,536US #14
#13Ryan1,327US #13
#14Nicholas1,248US #21
#15Eric1,168US #17
#16Anthony1,154US #23
#17William1,147US #15
#18Justin1,128US #12
#19Andrew1,096US #18
#20Adam1,091US #20
#21Timothy1,068US #24
#22Kevin1,046US #25
#23Brandon940US #19
#24Jonathan940US #16
#25Steven900US #28
#26Thomas899US #26
#27Jeffrey889US #29
#28Mark820US #33
#29Jeremy812US #22
#30Richard776US #27
#31Aaron764US #30
#32Scott737US #34
#33Charles670US #31
#34Patrick632US #38
#35Paul598US #35
#36Benjamin580US #32
#37Nathan530US #36
#38Jose489US #45
#39Kenneth488US #41
#40Gregory463US #46
#41Jacob457US #43
#42Bradley446US #50
#43Sean426US #44
#44Stephen409US #39
#45Edward407US #51
#46Chad381US #47
#47Dustin377US #42
#48Kyle377US #52
#49Peter373US #55
#50Jesse343US #37
#51Juan337US #60
#52Ronald320US #59
#53Donald313US #56
#54Travis313US #40
#55Keith302US #58
#56Bryan299US #48
#57Marcus297US #67
#58Antonio287US #75
#59Derek283US #53
#60Shawn278US #49
#61Samuel268US #54
#62Erik263US #76
#63Douglas260US #64
#64George242US #61
#65Phillip237US #66
#66Zachary233US #63
#67Joel228US #65
#68Craig224US #72
#69Alexander220US #70
#70Corey218US #69
#71Lucas217US #89
#72Carlos214US #71
#73Brett213US #79
#74Jared211US #57
#75Luis206US #92
#76Victor201US #104
#77Dennis195US #83
#78Nathaniel189US #80
#79Frank187US #82
#80Todd187US #74
#81Larry182US #73
#82Gary181US #62
#83Raymond180US #68
#84Cory173US #90
#85Carl169US #106
#86Philip167US #84
#87Jeffery162US #93
#88Lawrence162US #125
#89Mario162US #109
#90Gabriel160US #87
#91Shaun160US #86
#92Luke159US #100
#93Derrick157US #78
#94Vincent157US #107
#95Jesus156US #108
#96Miguel155US #116
#97Curtis153US #94
#98Jeremiah153US #77
#99Jorge153US #128
#100Ricardo147US #117

On the move since 1980

Rising

↑55Latoya#42
↑26Victoria#67
↑25Ashley#61
↑25Lindsey#74
↑22Lindsay#52
↑22Denise#70
↑22Alexander#69
↑21Brooke#48

Falling

↓38Tracy#88
↓27Monique#86
↓23Stacey#95
↓22Valerie#89
↓20Beth#97
↓19Katrina#92
↓18Allison#83
↓18Holly#93

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1980 rankings.