State roster

Top names in Kentucky

The names most likely to appear on 1981 Kentucky birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 50,914 Kentucky births in 1981 across 948 distinct names.

Distinctively Kentucky

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

#77Whitneyoutside the national top 200
#96Rhonda#199 nationally
#74Brittany#165 nationally
#90Ronnie#181 nationally
#64Tabitha#147 nationally
#84Johnathan#158 nationally
#95Donna#167 nationally
#39Tonya#110 nationally
#92Angel#157 nationally
#99Jonathon#162 nationally
#83Alisha#142 nationally
#41Christy#99 nationally

Girls

#1Amanda1,059US #3
#2Jessica961US #2
#3Jennifer944US #1
#4Amy507US #6
#5Sarah500US #4
#6Melissa462US #5
#7Stephanie446US #8
#8Rebecca389US #12
#9Crystal380US #16
#10Heather375US #10
#11Elizabeth369US #9
#12Angela361US #15
#13Tiffany346US #14
#14Kimberly322US #13
#15April317US #25
#16Ashley305US #34
#17Mary302US #27
#18Amber264US #20
#19Emily236US #29
#20Jamie225US #28
#21Christina223US #17
#22Laura219US #21
#23Andrea211US #24
#24Brandy209US #41
#25Erin209US #19
#26Kelly199US #23
#27Misty197US #61
#28Rachel193US #22
#29Sara188US #26
#30Michelle185US #11
#31Lisa183US #18
#32Leslie181US #56
#33Shannon154US #32
#34Nicole150US #7
#35Kristin136US #31
#36Brandi131US #50
#37Samantha129US #51
#38Lauren123US #35
#39Tonya122US #110
#40Tara117US #45
#41Christy116US #99
#42Carrie114US #55
#43Julie114US #37
#44Stacy108US #65
#45Megan106US #33
#46Erica105US #36
#47Tina100US #80
#48Katherine99US #39
#49Courtney94US #43
#50Kristen94US #38
#51Danielle93US #30
#52Susan93US #71
#53Allison92US #57
#54Holly90US #63
#55Pamela90US #76
#56Patricia90US #53
#57Brooke85US #52
#58Natasha84US #85
#59Anna83US #54
#60Dana82US #70
#61Lori82US #91
#62Natalie82US #60
#63Kristy80US #94
#64Tabitha80US #147
#65Melanie77US #66
#66Lindsey74US #58
#67Alicia73US #46
#68Bethany72US #114
#69Lindsay72US #47
#70Candice71US #86
#71Miranda70US #128
#72Kathryn68US #48
#73Stacey68US #83
#74Brittany67US #165
#75Casey67US #122
#76Wendy67US #90
#77Whitney66
#78Dawn65US #79
#79Robin65US #102
#80Tracy65US #77
#81Karen64US #64
#82Leah64US #81
#83Alisha63US #142
#84Katrina63US #95
#85Tammy62US #117
#86Katie61US #44
#87Cynthia60US #59
#88Monica60US #49
#89Catherine58US #73
#90Julia57US #88
#91Melinda57US #108
#92Angel55US #157
#93Teresa54US #97
#94Jacqueline52US #67
#95Donna50US #167
#96Rhonda50US #199
#97Barbara49US #119
#98Valerie49US #89
#99Jill48US #78
#100Vanessa48US #62

Boys

#1Joshua1,064US #6
#2Michael1,063US #1
#3James1,038US #7
#4Christopher920US #2
#5Jason854US #4
#6William689US #15
#7Matthew681US #3
#8David659US #5
#9Robert623US #9
#10John613US #8
#11Brandon565US #19
#12Joseph536US #11
#13Jeremy510US #22
#14Brian454US #14
#15Jonathan447US #16
#16Justin445US #12
#17Adam423US #20
#18Daniel395US #10
#19Charles391US #31
#20Timothy369US #24
#21Eric319US #17
#22Steven298US #28
#23Nicholas291US #21
#24Anthony288US #23
#25Thomas254US #26
#26Ryan248US #13
#27Benjamin247US #32
#28Richard246US #27
#29Andrew241US #18
#30Kevin235US #25
#31Aaron228US #30
#32Travis222US #40
#33Jeffrey218US #29
#34Nathan218US #36
#35Mark215US #33
#36Bradley202US #50
#37Stephen201US #39
#38Kenneth188US #41
#39Dustin185US #42
#40Paul183US #35
#41Chad170US #47
#42Gregory161US #46
#43Jesse161US #37
#44Gary148US #62
#45Patrick146US #38
#46Larry143US #73
#47Billy142US #103
#48Kyle141US #52
#49Scott141US #34
#50Donald137US #56
#51Shawn134US #49
#52Jacob130US #43
#53Bobby128US #110
#54Bryan128US #48
#55Derek119US #53
#56Samuel113US #54
#57Wesley110US #99
#58Phillip102US #66
#59Terry96US #105
#60George90US #61
#61Jerry90US #97
#62Jeffery85US #93
#63Roger85US #120
#64Derrick83US #78
#65Sean82US #44
#66Ronald80US #59
#67Jamie79US #118
#68Ricky79US #122
#69Nathaniel75US #80
#70Jared73US #57
#71Douglas72US #64
#72Edward72US #51
#73Brent68US #88
#74Keith68US #58
#75Shane67US #81
#76Zachary64US #63
#77Jeremiah63US #77
#78Danny62US #130
#79Johnny62US #113
#80Marcus60US #67
#81Casey59US #85
#82Jimmy58US #129
#83Randall57US #137
#84Johnathan55US #158
#85Seth54US #95
#86Curtis52US #94
#87Russell52US #98
#88Todd52US #74
#89Troy52US #114
#90Ronnie51US #181
#91Carl49US #106
#92Randy49US #91
#93Jordan48US #102
#94Lucas48US #89
#95Cory47US #90
#96Raymond47US #68
#97Corey46US #69
#98Dennis46US #83
#99Jonathon46US #162
#100Philip45US #84

On the move since 1980

Rising

↑26Kathryn#72
↑24Danielle#51
↑23Lauren#38
↑23Courtney#49
↑22Zachary#76
↑21Natalie#62
↑20Roger#63
↑19Dawn#78

Falling

↓39Tracy#80
↓28Melinda#91
↓25Tammy#85
↓24Dennis#98
↓23Karen#81
↓22Cynthia#87
↓22Donna#95
↓20Rhonda#96

Every state

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