State roster

Top names in Minnesota

The names most likely to appear on 1979 Minnesota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 58,906 Minnesota births in 1979 across 962 distinct names.

Distinctively Minnesota

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

#92Rossoutside the national top 200
#75Kristine#183 nationally
#97Gretchenoutside the national top 200
#38Molly#139 nationally
#50Kari#151 nationally
#100Mathew#192 nationally
#98Janelle#186 nationally
#52Krista#130 nationally
#91Neil#165 nationally
#43Anne#115 nationally
#68Jodi#140 nationally
#82Trevor#153 nationally

Girls

#1Jennifer1,239US #1
#2Melissa856US #2
#3Jessica823US #4
#4Sarah727US #6
#5Angela708US #8
#6Amanda641US #3
#7Amy585US #5
#8Nicole553US #9
#9Kelly459US #16
#10Heather395US #7
#11Michelle392US #10
#12Lisa368US #13
#13Sara361US #30
#14Rebecca349US #17
#15Elizabeth346US #11
#16Laura312US #20
#17Andrea306US #26
#18Stephanie301US #15
#19Katie291US #63
#20Erin289US #21
#21Rachel275US #27
#22Emily262US #34
#23Christina258US #14
#24Kimberly252US #12
#25Katherine243US #36
#26Heidi241US #83
#27Megan237US #31
#28Julie236US #29
#29Amber234US #22
#30Jamie224US #19
#31Jill222US #52
#32Shannon222US #25
#33Stacy211US #43
#34Christine179US #35
#35Mary175US #24
#36Carrie168US #41
#37Kristin160US #73
#38Molly160US #139
#39Kathryn158US #50
#40Tara156US #38
#41Tracy156US #49
#42Crystal154US #18
#43Anne150US #115
#44Holly150US #48
#45Kristina143US #74
#46Anna139US #59
#47Danielle131US #33
#48April130US #23
#49Tiffany130US #28
#50Kari129US #151
#51Leah127US #98
#52Krista112US #130
#53Tanya110US #93
#54Tina107US #58
#55Susan106US #51
#56Alicia103US #47
#57Allison103US #70
#58Erica103US #32
#59Dawn102US #57
#60Nichole101US #103
#61Lori98US #69
#62Ann96US #126
#63Karen96US #46
#64Beth94US #118
#65Mindy93US #81
#66Kristi92US #109
#67Gina87US #96
#68Jodi87US #140
#69Tammy87US #79
#70Jenny86US #120
#71Dana85US #54
#72Theresa84US #100
#73Lindsay83US #88
#74Melanie83US #53
#75Kristine80US #183
#76Maria80US #37
#77Alison78US #102
#78Kathleen78US #84
#79Catherine76US #78
#80Melinda74US #82
#81Jaime73US #97
#82Lindsey71US #113
#83Natalie71US #68
#84Meghan70US #121
#85Stacey70US #60
#86Wendy70US #64
#87Jaclyn69US #124
#88Samantha69US #66
#89Jacqueline67US #80
#90Renee65US #101
#91Vanessa65US #75
#92Kristy64US #56
#93Courtney63US #71
#94Kristen63US #62
#95Erika62US #91
#96Brenda61US #112
#97Gretchen61
#98Janelle61US #186
#99Leslie61US #65
#100Patricia61US #44

Boys

#1Michael1,204US #1
#2Matthew1,126US #6
#3Jason948US #3
#4Joshua893US #9
#5Christopher832US #2
#6Ryan828US #14
#7Nicholas761US #15
#8Andrew741US #20
#9Daniel708US #12
#10David670US #4
#11Brian645US #10
#12Joseph623US #11
#13John597US #7
#14Jeremy577US #16
#15Adam566US #23
#16Eric539US #17
#17Nathan523US #37
#18James496US #5
#19Jeffrey468US #24
#20Justin462US #22
#21Benjamin459US #33
#22Timothy443US #18
#23Robert439US #8
#24Aaron433US #32
#25Scott426US #29
#26Chad419US #38
#27Mark357US #30
#28Thomas348US #26
#29Anthony338US #21
#30Jesse310US #50
#31Steven303US #27
#32Travis302US #36
#33Paul298US #34
#34Kevin295US #19
#35Jacob291US #45
#36Brandon280US #35
#37William257US #13
#38Patrick256US #39
#39Peter237US #53
#40Jonathan234US #31
#41Charles213US #28
#42Bradley206US #47
#43Richard201US #25
#44Shawn183US #43
#45Kyle178US #56
#46Erik163US #66
#47Bryan151US #46
#48Brent148US #84
#49Gregory145US #42
#50Shane144US #67
#51Troy144US #99
#52Corey142US #63
#53Dustin141US #62
#54Cory139US #82
#55Joel135US #71
#56Luke133US #110
#57Jared125US #65
#58Derek124US #72
#59Lucas123US #108
#60Todd123US #60
#61Jeremiah112US #81
#62Douglas110US #58
#63Zachary110US #74
#64Kenneth108US #41
#65Stephen108US #40
#66Craig105US #77
#67Sean103US #49
#68Keith100US #52
#69Jon97US #118
#70Philip91US #83
#71Samuel91US #55
#72Casey88US #93
#73Seth85US #101
#74Brett81US #98
#75Jamie81US #88
#76Nathaniel78US #95
#77Randy76US #86
#78Donald73US #51
#79Edward73US #48
#80Jay72US #126
#81Shaun67US #64
#82Trevor67US #153
#83Kristopher66US #114
#84Curtis64US #91
#85Lance64US #142
#86Tony61US #104
#87Phillip59US #68
#88Ronald56US #54
#89Lee55US #129
#90Gary54US #59
#91Neil54US #165
#92Ross54
#93Tyler53US #131
#94Alan52US #116
#95Dennis51US #75
#96Alexander48US #94
#97Ian47US #107
#98Carl46US #100
#99Gabriel46US #90
#100Mathew46US #192

On the move since 1978

Rising

↑29Krista#52
↑20Philip#70
↑17Alison#77
↑12Tiffany#49
↑12Samantha#88
↑11Megan#27
↑11Allison#57
↑11Maria#76

Falling

↓25Shaun#81
↓24Melanie#74
↓24Kristen#94
↓21Stacey#85
↓20Brenda#96
↓16Kari#50
↓14Jodi#68
↓14Sean#67

Every state

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