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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island.
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1 / 30Mark is a name of Latin origin meaning "God of war".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 591
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 32 (#231 (tie) most common name, -94.6% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 129,460 (#34 most common name)
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2 / 30Stephen is a name of Greek origin meaning "wreath, crown".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 705
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 37 (#215 most common name, -94.8% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 113,635 (#36 most common name)
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3 / 30Richard is a name of German origin meaning "dominant ruler".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 734
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 81 (#134 (tie) most common name, -89.0% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 154,750 (#27 most common name)
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4 / 30Timothy is a name of Greek origin meaning "honouring God".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 765
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 52 (#171 most common name, -93.2% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 172,834 (#26 most common name)
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5 / 30Kyle is a name of Scottish origin meaning "narrow strait".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 778
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 40 (#206 most common name, -94.9% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 141,950 (#30 most common name)
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6 / 30Jeffrey is a name of English origin meaning "pledge of peace".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 805
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 22 (#264 (tie) most common name, -97.3% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 144,798 (#29 most common name)
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7 / 30Anthony is a name of Latin origin meaning "praiseworthy".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 821
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 311 (#25 most common name, -62.1% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 211,870 (#20 most common name)
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8 / 30Steven is a name of Greek origin meaning "crown".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 827
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 39 (#210 (tie) most common name, -95.3% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 177,470 (#25 most common name)
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9 / 30Adam is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "earth".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 863
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 119 (#99 most common name, -86.2% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 195,084 (#22 most common name)
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10 / 30Thomas is a name of Greek origin meaning "twin".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 875
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 286 (#28 most common name, -67.3% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 177,817 (#24 most common name)
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11 / 30Eric is a name of Norse origin meaning "sole ruler".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 921
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 49 (#179 most common name, -94.7% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 204,246 (#21 most common name)
Vasilyev Alexandr // Shutterstock
12 / 30William is a name of Germanic origin meaning "vehement protector".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 928
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 365 (#14 most common name, -60.7% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 248,286 (#15 most common name)
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13 / 30Kevin is a name of Irish origin meaning "noble".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 988
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 95 (#121 most common name, -90.4% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 188,685 (#23 most common name)
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14 / 30Jonathan is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "God has given".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 1,036
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 187 (#60 most common name, -81.9% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 229,959 (#18 most common name)
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15 / 30Brian is a name of Irish origin meaning "noble".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 1,123
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 49 (#179 most common name, -95.6% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 233,997 (#16 most common name)
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16 / 30Justin is a name of Latin origin meaning "righteous".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 1,138
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 97 (#119 most common name, -91.5% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 289,826 (#12 most common name)
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17 / 30Nicholas is a name of Greek origin meaning "victory of the people".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 1,260
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 197 (#57 most common name, -84.4% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 223,320 (#19 most common name)
Tatiana Chekryzhova // Shutterstock
18 / 30James is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "supplanter".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 1,302
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 409 (#9 most common name, -68.6% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 356,498 (#6 most common name)
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19 / 30Ryan is a name of Irish origin meaning "little king" or "illustrious".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 1,303
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 247 (#36 most common name, -81.0% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 278,954 (#14 most common name)
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20 / 30Andrew is a name of Greek origin meaning "brave".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 1,322
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 213 (#49 most common name, -83.9% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 285,094 (#13 most common name)
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21 / 30Jason is a name of Greek origin meaning "healer".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 1,349
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 124 (#97 most common name, -90.8% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 292,130 (#11 most common name)
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22 / 30Robert is a name of Germanic origin meaning "fame" or "bright".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 1,454
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 186 (#61 (tie) most common name, -87.2% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 321,672 (#8 most common name)
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23 / 30Daniel is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "God is my judge".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 1,472
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 253 (#34 most common name, -82.8% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 345,559 (#7 most common name)
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24 / 30Joshua is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "God Is my salvation".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 1,477
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 221 (#46 most common name, -85.0% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 396,530 (#4 most common name)
Oksana Kuzmina // Shutterstock
25 / 30John is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "Yahweh has been gracious".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 1,564
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 339 (#18 (tie) most common name, -78.3% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 321,161 (#9 most common name)
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26 / 30Joseph is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "he will add".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 1,577
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 339 (#18 (tie) most common name, -78.5% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 299,416 (#10 most common name)
BaLL LunLa // Shutterstock
27 / 30David is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "beloved".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 1,803
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 236 (#40 most common name, -86.9% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 383,702 (#5 most common name)
Tomsickova Tatyana // Shutterstock
28 / 30Matthew is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "Gift of Yahweh".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 2,413
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 319 (#21 most common name, -86.8% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 458,953 (#3 most common name)
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29 / 30Christopher is a name of English origin meaning "Christ-bearer".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 2,418
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 242 (#38 most common name, -90.0% 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?".
Rhode Island
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 3,537
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 448 (#6 most common name, -87.3% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 663,824 (#1 most common name)
