Most popular baby names of 1982

In comparing the top three names across 1981 and 1982, we see remarkable stability in naming preferences. In the United States, the trio of Jennifer, Jessica, and Amanda remained firmly positioned as the top three girls' names for both years, showing American parents' continued affinity for these classics. For boys, Michael, Christopher, and Matthew similarly held their ground as the unchanging top three. The UK showed parallel consistency, with Laura, Claire, and Lisa maintaining their exact positions for girls, while David continued to reign supreme among British boys' names.

Looking deeper at the top 10 girls' names in the US for 1982, Crystal made the most dramatic move, climbing into the 9th position after not appearing in the top 10 at all in 1981. Amy dropped from 6th to 10th place, while Nicole moved up one spot from 7th to 6th. Names beginning with "J" and "M" dominated the upper ranks, with Jennifer, Jessica, Melissa, and Michelle all firmly established. In the UK, the pattern was different, with Sarah climbing from 9th to 6th place and Michelle dropping from 8th to 5th, showing some regional variation in naming trends.

For boys in the US, the top 10 remained exceptionally stable between 1981 and 1982, with only minor shifts in rank. Joshua moved up one position to 7th place, while James dropped from 7th to 6th. Biblical names continued their strong showing, with Michael, Joshua, Matthew, and John all maintaining their popularity. In the UK, Michael made a notable climb from 9th to 11th, coming closer to the top 10, while Craig dropped slightly in popularity, demonstrating small but meaningful shifts in British naming preferences.

Overall, 1982 showed consistency in naming patterns across both countries, with traditional and biblical names continuing their popularity. Short, classic names dominated the boys' lists, while girls' names featured more variety in endings, though many popular choices ended in "a" sounds like Jessica, Amanda, and Melissa. Names starting with "J" and "M" were particularly prevalent across both genders and regions. Interestingly, while there was significant overlap between US and UK naming trends, distinct regional preferences remained apparent, with names like Crystal and Ashley gaining ground in America while remaining less common in Britain.

Top baby names of 1982