State roster

Top names in Massachusetts

The names most likely to appear on 1979 Massachusetts birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 64,569 Massachusetts births in 1979 across 1,055 distinct names.

Distinctively Massachusetts

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

#53Kateoutside the national top 200
#59Brendanoutside the national top 200
#72Kerryoutside the national top 200
#74Kerrioutside the national top 200
#54Jillian#179 nationally
#91Danaoutside the national top 200
#95Colinoutside the national top 200
#99Bradfordoutside the national top 200
#93Geoffrey#191 nationally
#81Laurie#176 nationally
#45Colleen#133 nationally
#36Meghan#121 nationally

Girls

#1Jennifer1,512US #1
#2Melissa1,007US #2
#3Jessica818US #4
#4Sarah639US #6
#5Nicole570US #9
#6Michelle559US #10
#7Amy546US #5
#8Elizabeth542US #11
#9Lisa502US #13
#10Heather474US #7
#11Kelly447US #16
#12Amanda422US #3
#13Erin407US #21
#14Kimberly353US #12
#15Stephanie351US #15
#16Christine350US #35
#17Rebecca349US #17
#18Christina342US #14
#19Danielle323US #33
#20Lauren319US #45
#21Julie307US #29
#22Laura289US #20
#23Andrea256US #26
#24Angela247US #8
#25Shannon247US #25
#26Katherine245US #36
#27Kristen237US #62
#28Emily222US #34
#29Rachel221US #27
#30Sara210US #30
#31Mary208US #24
#32Erica205US #32
#33Katie205US #63
#34Jamie198US #19
#35Jill188US #52
#36Meghan188US #121
#37Tara185US #38
#38Kathleen183US #84
#39Kristin178US #73
#40Kathryn169US #50
#41Karen168US #46
#42Megan164US #31
#43Melanie153US #53
#44Crystal150US #18
#45Colleen142US #133
#46Allison141US #70
#47Susan136US #51
#48Patricia135US #44
#49Catherine134US #78
#50Alicia130US #47
#51Maria129US #37
#52Alison126US #102
#53Kate126
#54Jillian118US #179
#55Tanya117US #93
#56Tracy117US #49
#57Cheryl113US #94
#58Kristy113US #56
#59Courtney112US #71
#60Dawn109US #57
#61Tiffany103US #28
#62Lindsay100US #88
#63Kara99US #125
#64Sandra98US #77
#65Gina97US #96
#66Holly97US #48
#67Stacey97US #60
#68Jacqueline95US #80
#69Jaime95US #97
#70Leah95US #98
#71Carrie94US #41
#72Kerry94
#73Stacy94US #43
#74Kerri93
#75Lori92US #69
#76Tina91US #58
#77April90US #23
#78Tammy90US #79
#79Cynthia87US #55
#80Kristina87US #74
#81Laurie87US #176
#82Beth85US #118
#83Carolyn85US #138
#84Nancy85US #107
#85Renee84US #101
#86Margaret82US #108
#87Meredith82US #143
#88Samantha82US #66
#89Vanessa82US #75
#90Bethany80US #135
#91Heidi80US #83
#92Suzanne78US #127
#93Wendy78US #64
#94Anna76US #59
#95Sharon76US #117
#96Erika75US #91
#97Jaclyn70US #124
#98Theresa70US #100
#99Anne69US #115
#100Robin69US #95

Boys

#1Michael2,113US #1
#2Christopher1,228US #2
#3Matthew1,149US #6
#4David1,114US #4
#5Jason1,068US #3
#6John946US #7
#7Brian867US #10
#8Daniel852US #12
#9James815US #5
#10Robert814US #8
#11Joseph778US #11
#12Andrew569US #20
#13Jeffrey568US #24
#14William562US #13
#15Kevin561US #19
#16Nicholas550US #15
#17Joshua533US #9
#18Eric524US #17
#19Timothy509US #18
#20Adam507US #23
#21Thomas506US #26
#22Mark456US #30
#23Ryan442US #14
#24Scott442US #29
#25Richard427US #25
#26Jonathan423US #31
#27Paul416US #34
#28Peter387US #53
#29Patrick368US #39
#30Steven368US #27
#31Stephen364US #40
#32Anthony353US #21
#33Justin335US #22
#34Sean332US #49
#35Benjamin296US #33
#36Jeremy275US #16
#37Gregory245US #42
#38Charles237US #28
#39Keith225US #52
#40Edward224US #48
#41Shawn218US #43
#42Nathan206US #37
#43Aaron173US #32
#44Derek158US #72
#45Kenneth147US #41
#46Jose141US #44
#47Shaun139US #64
#48Dennis138US #75
#49Chad137US #38
#50Erik137US #66
#51Marc136US #119
#52Todd130US #60
#53Jesse128US #50
#54Bryan125US #46
#55George125US #57
#56Jared123US #65
#57Craig115US #77
#58Alexander111US #94
#59Brendan109
#60Seth103US #101
#61Philip102US #83
#62Corey99US #63
#63Jacob99US #45
#64Donald98US #51
#65Joel95US #71
#66Ronald95US #54
#67Douglas88US #58
#68Kyle86US #56
#69Ian84US #107
#70Gary83US #59
#71Frank81US #78
#72Jamie81US #88
#73Samuel79US #55
#74Luis76US #102
#75Shane76US #67
#76Zachary76US #74
#77Russell72US #92
#78Carlos71US #73
#79Raymond71US #70
#80Nathaniel70US #95
#81Christian67US #120
#82Wayne67US #149
#83Brandon64US #35
#84Brad62US #115
#85Evan59US #169
#86Brett58US #98
#87Carl58US #100
#88Luke57US #110
#89Neil57US #165
#90Vincent57US #109
#91Dana54
#92Travis53US #36
#93Geoffrey52US #191
#94Jay52US #126
#95Colin50
#96Lawrence48US #122
#97Phillip48US #68
#98Randy48US #86
#99Bradford47
#100Jeremiah47US #81

On the move since 1978

Rising

↑32Kate#53
↑24Tanya#55
↑21Kara#63
↑20Jillian#54
↑20Lindsay#62
↑16Katie#33
↑16Tiffany#61
↑15Laurie#81

Falling

↓27Beth#82
↓27Robin#100
↓25Heidi#91
↓20Stacey#67
↓19Carrie#71
↓15Jaime#69
↓15Renee#85
↓13Kerry#72

Every state

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