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 York 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 100 most popular baby names of the 1980s in New York.
Iren_Geo // Shutterstock
1 / 30Paul is a name of Latin origin meaning "humble".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 8,873
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 965 (#218 (tie) most common name, -89.1% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 104,397 (#40 most common name)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
2 / 30Mark is a name of Latin origin meaning "God of war".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 9,303
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,294 (#155 most common name, -86.1% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 129,460 (#34 most common name)
Anna Grigorjeva // Shutterstock
3 / 30Sean is a name of Irish origin meaning "God is gracious".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 9,546
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,018 (#210 most common name, -89.3% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 103,875 (#41 most common name)
Lopolo // Shutterstock
4 / 30Jeffrey is a name of English origin meaning "pledge of peace".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 10,563
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 680 (#287 (tie) most common name, -93.6% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 144,798 (#29 most common name)
Fotonium // Shutterstock
5 / 30Timothy is a name of Greek origin meaning "honouring God".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 10,969
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,200 (#175 (tie) most common name, -89.1% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 172,834 (#26 most common name)
FamVeld // Shutterstock
6 / 30Adam is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "earth".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 12,502
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 3,661 (#46 most common name, -70.7% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 195,084 (#22 most common name)
Vasilyev Alexandr // Shutterstock
7 / 30Richard is a name of German origin meaning "dominant ruler".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 13,065
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,217 (#169 most common name, -90.7% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 154,750 (#27 most common name)
Tomsickova Tatyana // Shutterstock
8 / 30Eric is a name of Norse origin meaning "sole ruler".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 13,887
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,314 (#154 most common name, -90.5% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 204,246 (#21 most common name)
Samuel Borges Photography // Shutterstock
9 / 30Steven is a name of Greek origin meaning "crown".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 14,101
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,431 (#139 (tie) most common name, -89.9% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 177,470 (#25 most common name)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
10 / 30Ryan is a name of Irish origin meaning "little king" or "illustrious".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 14,693
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 5,939 (#22 (tie) most common name, -59.6% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 278,954 (#14 most common name)
Ramona Heim // Shutterstock
11 / 30Justin is a name of Latin origin meaning "righteous".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 14,719
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,550 (#76 most common name, -82.7% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 289,826 (#12 most common name)
yifanjrb // Shutterstock
12 / 30Kevin is a name of Irish origin meaning "noble".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 15,211
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,094 (#98 most common name, -86.2% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 188,685 (#23 most common name)
Oksana Kuzmina // Shutterstock
13 / 30Thomas is a name of Greek origin meaning "twin".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 15,658
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 4,275 (#39 most common name, -72.7% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 177,817 (#24 most common name)
Shutterstock
14 / 30Nicholas is a name of Greek origin meaning "victory of the people".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 15,953
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 4,807 (#32 most common name, -69.9% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 223,320 (#19 most common name)
Andy Dean Photography // Shutterstock
15 / 30William is a name of Germanic origin meaning "vehement protector".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 16,229
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 5,939 (#22 (tie) most common name, -63.4% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 248,286 (#15 most common name)
morrowlight // Shutterstock
16 / 30Joshua is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "God Is my salvation".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 16,869
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 4,570 (#37 most common name, -72.9% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 396,530 (#4 most common name)
Tomsickova Tatyana // Shutterstock
17 / 30Brian is a name of Irish origin meaning "noble".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 18,487
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,048 (#204 most common name, -94.3% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 233,997 (#16 most common name)
DONOT6_STUDIO // Shutterstock
18 / 30Jonathan is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "God has given".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 18,966
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 3,192 (#57 most common name, -83.2% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 229,959 (#18 most common name)
Olesia Bilkei // Shutterstock
19 / 30Andrew is a name of Greek origin meaning "brave".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 19,790
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 4,016 (#43 most common name, -79.7% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 285,094 (#13 most common name)
FamVeld // Shutterstock
20 / 30Anthony is a name of Latin origin meaning "praiseworthy".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 21,454
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 6,009 (#21 most common name, -72.0% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 211,870 (#20 most common name)
Alena Vostrikova // Shutterstock
21 / 30James is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "supplanter".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 22,149
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 7,673 (#8 most common name, -65.4% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 356,498 (#6 most common name)
Iren_Geo // Shutterstock
22 / 30Jason is a name of Greek origin meaning "healer".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 22,234
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,509 (#80 most common name, -88.7% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 292,130 (#11 most common name)
burlakova_anna // Shutterstock
23 / 30Robert is a name of Germanic origin meaning "fame" or "bright".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 23,342
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,782 (#67 most common name, -88.1% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 321,672 (#8 most common name)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
24 / 30John is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "Yahweh has been gracious".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 24,234
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 5,351 (#26 most common name, -77.9% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 321,161 (#9 most common name)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
25 / 30David is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "beloved".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 27,489
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 7,344 (#10 most common name, -73.3% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 383,702 (#5 most common name)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
26 / 30Daniel is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "God is my judge".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 28,018
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 7,283 (#12 most common name, -74.0% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 345,559 (#7 most common name)
Tatiana Chekryzhova // Shutterstock
27 / 30Joseph is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "he will add".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 28,756
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 8,554 (#7 most common name, -70.3% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 299,416 (#10 most common name)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
28 / 30Matthew is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "Gift of Yahweh".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 31,285
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 7,614 (#9 most common name, -75.7% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 458,953 (#3 most common name)
pratan ounpitipong // Shutterstock
29 / 30Christopher is a name of English origin meaning "Christ-bearer".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 38,244
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 4,583 (#36 most common name, -88.0% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 554,886 (#2 most common name)
Mallmo // Shutterstock
30 / 30Michael is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "who is like God?".
New York
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 58,998
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 8,557 (#6 most common name, -85.5% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 663,824 (#1 most common name)
