State roster

Top names in New Jersey

The names most likely to appear on 1979 New Jersey birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 79,632 New Jersey births in 1979 across 1,591 distinct names.

Distinctively New Jersey

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

#68Angel#185 nationally
#73Edwin#186 nationally
#91Theodore#198 nationally
#95Nelsonoutside the national top 200
#96Rafaeloutside the national top 200
#69Omar#173 nationally
#43Colleen#133 nationally
#81Hector#167 nationally
#87Evan#169 nationally
#72Louis#148 nationally
#48Meghan#121 nationally
#36Michele#105 nationally

Girls

#1Jennifer1,576US #1
#2Melissa1,073US #2
#3Nicole805US #9
#4Jessica803US #4
#5Lisa590US #13
#6Kelly569US #16
#7Michelle552US #10
#8Kimberly544US #12
#9Lauren474US #45
#10Christine463US #35
#11Heather461US #7
#12Danielle457US #33
#13Christina443US #14
#14Elizabeth424US #11
#15Amanda420US #3
#16Amy397US #5
#17Laura350US #20
#18Stephanie334US #15
#19Sarah317US #6
#20Tara313US #38
#21Erin307US #21
#22Rebecca285US #17
#23Megan277US #31
#24Dana275US #54
#25Jamie270US #19
#26Shannon266US #25
#27Mary226US #24
#28Karen224US #46
#29Maria224US #37
#30Kristen219US #62
#31Andrea212US #26
#32Rachel212US #27
#33Erica209US #32
#34Susan200US #51
#35Katherine198US #36
#36Michele198US #105
#37Angela194US #8
#38Dawn185US #57
#39Tiffany184US #28
#40Kristin180US #73
#41Jacqueline178US #80
#42Kathleen176US #84
#43Colleen175US #133
#44Allison174US #70
#45Patricia172US #44
#46Jill171US #52
#47Gina157US #96
#48Meghan152US #121
#49Crystal151US #18
#50Sandra147US #77
#51Catherine146US #78
#52Cynthia146US #55
#53Cheryl145US #94
#54April141US #23
#55Kathryn141US #50
#56Lori139US #69
#57Theresa138US #100
#58Julie137US #29
#59Tracy137US #49
#60Denise135US #92
#61Tina132US #58
#62Jaclyn131US #124
#63Kristy128US #56
#64Vanessa128US #75
#65Stacey127US #60
#66Monica126US #40
#67Stacy126US #43
#68Sharon125US #117
#69Diana123US #111
#70Sara123US #30
#71Alison120US #102
#72Suzanne119US #127
#73Nancy118US #107
#74Alicia117US #47
#75Emily117US #34
#76Melanie114US #53
#77Courtney113US #71
#78Jaime111US #97
#79Linda110US #114
#80Renee107US #101
#81Samantha105US #66
#82Carrie98US #41
#83Margaret96US #108
#84Meredith95US #143
#85Victoria95US #119
#86Erika93US #91
#87Anna92US #59
#88Kristina90US #74
#89Donna88US #131
#90Valerie88US #89
#91Brooke87US #85
#92Wendy87US #64
#93Natalie85US #68
#94Pamela83US #90
#95Deborah82US #132
#96Monique82US #141
#97Beth81US #118
#98Leslie81US #65
#99Lindsay78US #88
#100Barbara77US #123

Boys

#1Michael2,511US #1
#2Christopher1,450US #2
#3David1,322US #4
#4John1,202US #7
#5Joseph1,161US #11
#6Robert1,149US #8
#7Jason1,126US #3
#8Brian1,070US #10
#9James1,018US #5
#10Daniel946US #12
#11Matthew873US #6
#12William760US #13
#13Thomas679US #26
#14Anthony675US #21
#15Kevin594US #19
#16Richard548US #25
#17Jeffrey535US #24
#18Steven529US #27
#19Nicholas526US #15
#20Ryan473US #14
#21Mark470US #30
#22Eric450US #17
#23Timothy446US #18
#24Andrew435US #20
#25Scott398US #29
#26Paul390US #34
#27Jonathan370US #31
#28Stephen356US #40
#29Adam354US #23
#30Joshua338US #9
#31Edward332US #48
#32Peter328US #53
#33Charles326US #28
#34Gregory314US #42
#35Justin303US #22
#36Kenneth292US #41
#37Sean291US #49
#38Patrick266US #39
#39Jose257US #44
#40Keith248US #52
#41George227US #57
#42Frank221US #78
#43Bryan213US #46
#44Shawn191US #43
#45Ronald176US #54
#46Jeremy174US #16
#47Raymond173US #70
#48Douglas172US #58
#49Luis169US #102
#50Dennis156US #75
#51Vincent155US #109
#52Aaron153US #32
#53Benjamin153US #33
#54Donald152US #51
#55Todd152US #60
#56Erik149US #66
#57Kyle146US #56
#58Juan143US #61
#59Alexander142US #94
#60Philip141US #83
#61Carlos137US #73
#62Shaun137US #64
#63Gary136US #59
#64Craig132US #77
#65Christian130US #120
#66Marc126US #119
#67Victor124US #105
#68Angel115US #185
#69Omar113US #173
#70Samuel112US #55
#71Jesse108US #50
#72Louis95US #148
#73Edwin93US #186
#74Lawrence90US #122
#75Corey89US #63
#76Carl86US #100
#77Ian85US #107
#78Joel83US #71
#79Jared81US #65
#80Wayne81US #149
#81Hector78US #167
#82Miguel78US #137
#83Walter78US #128
#84Derek77US #72
#85Brett76US #98
#86Antonio75US #79
#87Evan69US #169
#88Phillip69US #68
#89Frederick67US #158
#90Jorge67US #134
#91Theodore66US #198
#92Russell65US #92
#93Andre63US #141
#94Bruce63US #152
#95Nelson63
#96Rafael63
#97Arthur62US #144
#98Brandon62US #35
#99Chad62US #38
#100Jamie62US #88

On the move since 1978

Rising

↑31Meghan#48
↑28Tiffany#39
↑17Colleen#43
↑16Nancy#73
↑15Theresa#57
↑14Crystal#49
↑14Monica#66
↑14Erik#56

Falling

↓38Jaime#78
↓20Sara#70
↓20Melanie#76
↓18Shaun#62
↓14Kristy#63
↓14Barbara#100
↓14Craig#64
↓13Jill#46

Every state

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