Known for the emergence of MTV, the rise of neon, and the invention of the mixtape, the 1980s were certainly a rockin' era in American history. New economic policies were introduced, the news network CNN launched, and, much less enjoyable, Wall Street crashed on the infamous Black Monday—the worst one-day decline in American stock market history. Sandra Day O'Connor was nominated by President Ronald Reagan as the first female Supreme Court justice, the Cold War saw the beginning of the end as the Berlin Wall began to fall, and millions watched in horror as the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded on live television.
Among all the big hair, Rubix cubes, and shoulder pads, however, there were still plenty of babies being born during this defining time. And with celebrities like Michael J. Fox and Robert Palmer reaching their peak fame during the '80s, it's no surprise that many parents chose to name their kids after them.
To see just how popular these names were, Stacker compiled a list of the most popular baby names for boys in the 80s in California using data from the Social Security Administration. Names are ranked by number of babies born.
Just like scrunchies and PAC MAN, Americans can still hold onto some of the best aspects of the '80s, including baby names (some things never get old). So whether you're welcoming a new little one into the world this year or just curious, these are the most popular baby names of the 1980s in California.
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1 / 30Aaron is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "high mountain".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 15,224
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 11,332 (#28 most common name, -25.6% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 138,366 (#32 most common name)
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2 / 30Thomas is a name of Greek origin meaning "twin".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 15,292
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 5,771 (#77 most common name, -62.3% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 177,817 (#24 most common name)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
3 / 30Jeffrey is a name of English origin meaning "pledge of peace".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 16,318
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,061 (#354 most common name, -93.5% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 144,798 (#29 most common name)
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4 / 30Adam is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "earth".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 16,979
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 6,900 (#64 most common name, -59.4% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 195,084 (#22 most common name)
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5 / 30Juan is a name of Spanish origin meaning "God is gracious".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 17,831
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 5,729 (#80 most common name, -67.9% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 51,257 (#65 most common name)
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6 / 30William is a name of Germanic origin meaning "vehement protector".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 19,915
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 11,156 (#30 most common name, -44.0% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 248,286 (#15 most common name)
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7 / 30Richard is a name of German origin meaning "dominant ruler".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 21,732
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,788 (#163 most common name, -87.2% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 154,750 (#27 most common name)
Tatiana Chekryzhova // Shutterstock
8 / 30Brandon is a name of English origin meaning "beacon hill" or "crow".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 21,796
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 4,477 (#104 most common name, -79.5% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 232,206 (#17 most common name)
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9 / 30Kevin is a name of Irish origin meaning "noble".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 22,434
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 5,050 (#93 most common name, -77.5% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 188,685 (#23 most common name)
Roman Sorkin // Shutterstock
10 / 30Steven is a name of Greek origin meaning "crown".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 22,720
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,705 (#168 most common name, -88.1% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 177,470 (#25 most common name)
Serenko Natalia // Shutterstock
11 / 30Eric is a name of Norse origin meaning "sole ruler".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 24,174
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 3,949 (#120 most common name, -83.7% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 204,246 (#21 most common name)
Tatiana Chekryzhova // Shutterstock
12 / 30Nicholas is a name of Greek origin meaning "victory of the people".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 25,415
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 6,393 (#71 most common name, -74.8% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 223,320 (#19 most common name)
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13 / 30Brian is a name of Irish origin meaning "noble".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 25,562
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,150 (#207 most common name, -91.6% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 233,997 (#16 most common name)
noBorders - Brayden Howie // Shutterstock
14 / 30Justin is a name of Latin origin meaning "righteous".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 26,042
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 3,012 (#145 most common name, -88.4% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 289,826 (#12 most common name)
marina shin // Shutterstock
15 / 30Jonathan is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "God has given".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 27,741
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 8,434 (#48 most common name, -69.6% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 229,959 (#18 most common name)
Anna Grigorjeva // Shutterstock
16 / 30Jason is a name of Greek origin meaning "healer".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 29,200
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 5,549 (#81 most common name, -81.0% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 292,130 (#11 most common name)
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17 / 30Anthony is a name of Latin origin meaning "praiseworthy".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 29,361
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 12,345 (#22 most common name, -58.0% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 211,870 (#20 most common name)
Adrie Molco // Shutterstock
18 / 30John is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "Yahweh has been gracious".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 30,280
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 6,234 (#73 most common name, -79.4% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 321,161 (#9 most common name)
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19 / 30James is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "supplanter".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 30,871
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 12,971 (#19 most common name, -58.0% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 356,498 (#6 most common name)
Oksana Kuzmina // Shutterstock
20 / 30Joseph is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "he will add".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 30,927
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 10,692 (#31 most common name, -65.4% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 299,416 (#10 most common name)
Elvira Koneva // Shutterstock
21 / 30Andrew is a name of Greek origin meaning "brave".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 32,001
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 10,265 (#32 (tie) most common name, -67.9% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 285,094 (#13 most common name)
Anna Grigorjeva // Shutterstock
22 / 30Jose is a name of Spanish origin meaning "God will increase".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 32,247
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 9,004 (#44 most common name, -72.1% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 86,420 (#48 most common name)
Alena Vostrikova // Shutterstock
23 / 30Ryan is a name of Irish origin meaning "little king" or "illustrious".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 33,479
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 8,333 (#49 most common name, -75.1% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 278,954 (#14 most common name)
FamVeld // Shutterstock
24 / 30Joshua is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "God Is my salvation".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 35,512
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 8,682 (#47 most common name, -75.6% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 396,530 (#4 most common name)
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25 / 30Robert is a name of Germanic origin meaning "fame" or "bright".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 36,335
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 5,243 (#89 most common name, -85.6% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 321,672 (#8 most common name)
rSnapshotPhotos // Shutterstock
26 / 30Matthew is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "Gift of Yahweh".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 44,273
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 16,007 (#10 most common name, -63.8% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 458,953 (#3 most common name)
Olesia Bilkei // Shutterstock
27 / 30Daniel is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "God is my judge".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 50,169
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 17,356 (#7 most common name, -65.4% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 345,559 (#7 most common name)
Anna Grigorjeva // Shutterstock
28 / 30David is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "beloved".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 51,636
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 13,006 (#18 most common name, -74.8% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 383,702 (#5 most common name)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
29 / 30Christopher is a name of English origin meaning "Christ-bearer".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 61,506
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 8,836 (#45 most common name, -85.6% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 554,886 (#2 most common name)
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30 / 30Michael is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "who is like God?".
California
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 73,644
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 12,856 (#20 most common name, -82.5% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 663,824 (#1 most common name)
