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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey.
noBorders - Brayden Howie // Shutterstock
1 / 30Adam is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "earth".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 3,962
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,689 (#50 most common name, -57.4% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 195,084 (#22 most common name)
BaLL LunLa // Shutterstock
2 / 30Stephen is a name of Greek origin meaning "wreath, crown".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 4,197
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 357 (#255 (tie) most common name, -91.5% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 113,635 (#36 most common name)
MIA Studio // Shutterstock
3 / 30Sean is a name of Irish origin meaning "God is gracious".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 4,464
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 553 (#180 most common name, -87.6% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 103,875 (#41 most common name)
Tatiana Dyuvbanova // Shutterstock
4 / 30Mark is a name of Latin origin meaning "God of war".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 4,485
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 630 (#158 most common name, -86.0% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 129,460 (#34 most common name)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
5 / 30Joshua is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "God Is my salvation".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 4,742
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,297 (#31 most common name, -51.6% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 396,530 (#4 most common name)
2p2play // Shutterstock
6 / 30Timothy is a name of Greek origin meaning "honouring God".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 4,831
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 490 (#196 (tie) most common name, -89.9% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 172,834 (#26 most common name)
FamVeld // Shutterstock
7 / 30Jeffrey is a name of English origin meaning "pledge of peace".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 5,013
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 315 (#277 (tie) most common name, -93.7% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 144,798 (#29 most common name)
Tatiana Chekryzhova // Shutterstock
8 / 30Richard is a name of German origin meaning "dominant ruler".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 5,548
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 608 (#162 most common name, -89.0% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 154,750 (#27 most common name)
Roman Sorkin // Shutterstock
9 / 30Justin is a name of Latin origin meaning "righteous".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 5,619
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,130 (#85 most common name, -79.9% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 289,826 (#12 most common name)
Alena Vostrikova // Shutterstock
10 / 30Eric is a name of Norse origin meaning "sole ruler".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 5,636
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 510 (#188 most common name, -91.0% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 204,246 (#21 most common name)
yifanjrb // Shutterstock
11 / 30Steven is a name of Greek origin meaning "crown".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 5,959
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 665 (#145 most common name, -88.8% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 177,470 (#25 most common name)
BaLL LunLa // Shutterstock
12 / 30Nicholas is a name of Greek origin meaning "victory of the people".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 6,097
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,553 (#25 most common name, -58.1% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 223,320 (#19 most common name)
marina shin // Shutterstock
13 / 30Jonathan is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "God has given".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 6,828
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,557 (#53 most common name, -77.2% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 229,959 (#18 most common name)
Gorynvd // Shutterstock
14 / 30Kevin is a name of Irish origin meaning "noble".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 7,241
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,054 (#95 most common name, -85.4% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 188,685 (#23 most common name)
Tomsickova Tatyana // Shutterstock
15 / 30Thomas is a name of Greek origin meaning "twin".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 7,508
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,121 (#38 most common name, -71.8% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 177,817 (#24 most common name)
Adrie Molco // Shutterstock
16 / 30Andrew is a name of Greek origin meaning "brave".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 7,696
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,046 (#42 most common name, -73.4% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 285,094 (#13 most common name)
Lipatova Maryna // Shutterstock
17 / 30William is a name of Germanic origin meaning "vehement protector".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 7,730
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,626 (#24 most common name, -66.0% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 248,286 (#15 most common name)
FamVeld // Shutterstock
18 / 30Ryan is a name of Irish origin meaning "little king" or "illustrious".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 7,757
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 3,050 (#17 most common name, -60.7% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 278,954 (#14 most common name)
DONOT6_STUDIO // Shutterstock
19 / 30Jason is a name of Greek origin meaning "healer".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 8,020
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,169 (#83 most common name, -85.4% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 292,130 (#11 most common name)
Oksana Kuzmina // Shutterstock
20 / 30Anthony is a name of Latin origin meaning "praiseworthy".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 8,743
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 3,501 (#14 most common name, -60.0% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 211,870 (#20 most common name)
My Good Images // Shutterstock
21 / 30Brian is a name of Irish origin meaning "noble".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 9,287
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 533 (#183 most common name, -94.3% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 233,997 (#16 most common name)
Serenko Natalia // Shutterstock
22 / 30James is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "supplanter".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 9,815
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 3,694 (#8 most common name, -62.4% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 356,498 (#6 most common name)
Olesia Bilkei // Shutterstock
23 / 30Robert is a name of Germanic origin meaning "fame" or "bright".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 11,437
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,408 (#62 most common name, -87.7% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 321,672 (#8 most common name)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
24 / 30David is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "beloved".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 11,574
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,993 (#18 most common name, -74.1% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 383,702 (#5 most common name)
Olesia Bilkei // Shutterstock
25 / 30John is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "Yahweh has been gracious".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 11,625
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,707 (#23 most common name, -76.7% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 321,161 (#9 most common name)
Vasiuk Iryna // Shutterstock
26 / 30Joseph is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "he will add".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 12,160
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 4,258 (#5 most common name, -65.0% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 299,416 (#10 most common name)
yifanjrb // Shutterstock
27 / 30Daniel is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "God is my judge".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 12,433
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 3,510 (#12 most common name, -71.8% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 345,559 (#7 most common name)
Capable97 // Shutterstock
28 / 30Matthew is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "Gift of Yahweh".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 13,747
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 4,004 (#7 most common name, -70.9% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 458,953 (#3 most common name)
Flashon // Shutterstock
29 / 30Christopher is a name of English origin meaning "Christ-bearer".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 16,611
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,455 (#27 most common name, -85.2% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 554,886 (#2 most common name)
Ramona Heim // Shutterstock
30 / 30Michael is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "who is like God?".
New Jersey
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 26,881
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 4,260 (#4 most common name, -84.2% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 663,824 (#1 most common name)
