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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina.
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1 / 30Adam is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "earth".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 1,610
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 343 (#162 most common name, -78.7% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 195,084 (#22 most common name)
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2 / 30Benjamin is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "son of my days".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 1,663
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,411 (#15 most common name, -15.2% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 141,385 (#31 most common name)
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3 / 30Steven is a name of Greek origin meaning "crown".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 1,861
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 234 (#219 most common name, -87.4% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 177,470 (#25 most common name)
FamVeld // Shutterstock
4 / 30Eric is a name of Norse origin meaning "sole ruler".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 1,944
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 275 (#190 most common name, -85.9% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 204,246 (#21 most common name)
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5 / 30Jeremy is a name of English origin meaning "appointed by God".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 1,981
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 213 (#237 most common name, -89.2% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 153,414 (#28 most common name)
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6 / 30Ryan is a name of Irish origin meaning "little king" or "illustrious".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 2,028
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 572 (#95 most common name, -71.8% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 278,954 (#14 most common name)
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7 / 30Anthony is a name of Latin origin meaning "praiseworthy".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 2,170
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 753 (#65 (tie) most common name, -65.3% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 211,870 (#20 most common name)
Oksana Kuzmina // Shutterstock
8 / 30Richard is a name of German origin meaning "dominant ruler".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 2,226
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 353 (#158 most common name, -84.1% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 154,750 (#27 most common name)
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9 / 30Kevin is a name of Irish origin meaning "noble".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 2,256
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 353 (#158 most common name, -84.4% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 188,685 (#23 most common name)
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10 / 30Brian is a name of Irish origin meaning "noble".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 2,315
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 203 (#250 most common name, -91.2% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 233,997 (#16 most common name)
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11 / 30Timothy is a name of Greek origin meaning "honouring God".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 2,456
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 443 (#126 most common name, -82.0% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 172,834 (#26 most common name)
DONOT6_STUDIO // Shutterstock
12 / 30Andrew is a name of Greek origin meaning "brave".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 2,562
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 874 (#50 most common name, -65.9% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 285,094 (#13 most common name)
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13 / 30Travis is a name of French origin meaning "to cross".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 2,624
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 199 (#256 (tie) most common name, -92.4% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 102,925 (#42 most common name)
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14 / 30Thomas is a name of Greek origin meaning "twin".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 2,699
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,390 (#16 most common name, -48.5% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 177,817 (#24 most common name)
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15 / 30Charles is a name of Germanic origin meaning "free man".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 2,875
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,324 (#19 most common name, -53.9% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 131,905 (#33 most common name)
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16 / 30Daniel is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "God is my judge".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 3,130
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,234 (#24 most common name, -60.6% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 345,559 (#7 most common name)
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17 / 30Joseph is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "he will add".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 3,347
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,231 (#25 most common name, -63.2% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 299,416 (#10 most common name)
Anna Grigorjeva // Shutterstock
18 / 30Jonathan is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "God has given".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 3,644
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 745 (#68 (tie) most common name, -79.6% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 229,959 (#18 most common name)
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19 / 30Jason is a name of Greek origin meaning "healer".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 3,671
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 387 (#143 (tie) most common name, -89.5% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 292,130 (#11 most common name)
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20 / 30Justin is a name of Latin origin meaning "righteous".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 4,101
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 380 (#148 (tie) most common name, -90.7% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 289,826 (#12 most common name)
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21 / 30Brandon is a name of English origin meaning "beacon hill" or "crow".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 4,206
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 414 (#132 most common name, -90.2% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 232,206 (#17 most common name)
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22 / 30David is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "beloved".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 4,472
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,193 (#28 most common name, -73.3% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 383,702 (#5 most common name)
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23 / 30Matthew is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "Gift of Yahweh".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 4,629
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,007 (#42 most common name, -78.2% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 458,953 (#3 most common name)
Iren_Geo // Shutterstock
24 / 30Robert is a name of Germanic origin meaning "fame" or "bright".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 4,655
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 979 (#45 most common name, -79.0% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 321,672 (#8 most common name)
rSnapshotPhotos // Shutterstock
25 / 30John is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "Yahweh has been gracious".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 4,849
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,012 (#6 most common name, -58.5% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 321,161 (#9 most common name)
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26 / 30Joshua is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "God Is my salvation".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 5,703
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,071 (#36 most common name, -81.2% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 396,530 (#4 most common name)
Pshenina_m // Shutterstock
27 / 30William is a name of Germanic origin meaning "vehement protector".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 5,767
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 3,052 (#1 most common name, -47.1% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 248,286 (#15 most common name)
burlakova_anna // Shutterstock
28 / 30James is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "supplanter".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 7,069
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,597 (#3 most common name, -63.3% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 356,498 (#6 most common name)
Iren_Geo // Shutterstock
29 / 30Michael is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "who is like God?".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 7,267
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,538 (#10 most common name, -78.8% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 663,824 (#1 most common name)
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30 / 30Christopher is a name of English origin meaning "Christ-bearer".
South Carolina
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 8,315
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,206 (#27 most common name, -85.5% compared to the 80s)
National:
- Babies from 1980 to 1989: 554,886 (#2 most common name)
