The 10 Most Popular Baby Names From The 1970s

10) Matthew and Nicole

10) Matthew and Nicole, 9) William and Stephanie, 8) Brian and Heather, 7) Robert and Angela, 6) John and Lisa, 5) James and Kimberly, 4) David and Michelle, 3) Jason and Melissa, 2) Christopher and Amy, 1) Michael and Jennifer

Who doesn’t know several Matts and Nicoles? It’s no surprise these rounded out the top 10, with 277,828 and 144,670 babies given these names, respectively, in the 1970s.

9) William and Stephanie

10) Matthew and Nicole, 9) William and Stephanie, 8) Brian and Heather, 7) Robert and Angela, 6) John and Lisa, 5) James and Kimberly, 4) David and Michelle, 3) Jason and Melissa, 2) Christopher and Amy, 1) Michael and Jennifer

These names aren’t quite as popular anymore in today’s day and age, but surely you've met a few Williams (Don't forget Bills and Wills) or Stephanies if you were born in the 1970s—or work with people who were. There were 283,456 and 160,464 babies given these respective names during this decade.

8) Brian and Heather

10) Matthew and Nicole, 9) William and Stephanie, 8) Brian and Heather, 7) Robert and Angela, 6) John and Lisa, 5) James and Kimberly, 4) David and Michelle, 3) Jason and Melissa, 2) Christopher and Amy, 1) Michael and Jennifer

If you remember quite a few Brians and Heathers from your school days, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there were 322,747 and 203,912 babies, respectively, given these names during that time.

7) Robert and Angela

10) Matthew and Nicole, 9) William and Stephanie, 8) Brian and Heather, 7) Robert and Angela, 6) John and Lisa, 5) James and Kimberly, 4) David and Michelle, 3) Jason and Melissa, 2) Christopher and Amy, 1) Michael and Jennifer

It should come as no surprise to anyone with Bobs in their life that Robert was one of the most popular names of the 1970s. The seventh-most popular female name only went to 225,264 babies in comparison to Robert’s 397,295.

6) John and Lisa

10) Matthew and Nicole, 9) William and Stephanie, 8) Brian and Heather, 7) Robert and Angela, 6) John and Lisa, 5) James and Kimberly, 4) David and Michelle, 3) Jason and Melissa, 2) Christopher and Amy, 1) Michael and Jennifer

These names might not seem as popular today, but there were quite a few who were running around as kids in the '70s. Specifically, there were 402,715 Johns and 228,690 Lisas born in the U.S. during this decade.

5) James and Kimberly

10) Matthew and Nicole, 9) William and Stephanie, 8) Brian and Heather, 7) Robert and Angela, 6) John and Lisa, 5) James and Kimberly, 4) David and Michelle, 3) Jason and Melissa, 2) Christopher and Amy, 1) Michael and Jennifer

Know of a Jim or Kim, or even several? No surprise there. In the 1970s, there were 444,823 and 229,106 babies given the names James and Kimberly.

4) David and Michelle

10) Matthew and Nicole, 9) William and Stephanie, 8) Brian and Heather, 7) Robert and Angela, 6) John and Lisa, 5) James and Kimberly, 4) David and Michelle, 3) Jason and Melissa, 2) Christopher and Amy, 1) Michael and Jennifer

Davids and Michelles were undeniably everywhere, especially if you were a child of the 1970s. During this period, a total of 445,842 and 249,138 babies received these names, respectively.

3) Jason and Melissa

10) Matthew and Nicole, 9) William and Stephanie, 8) Brian and Heather, 7) Robert and Angela, 6) John and Lisa, 5) James and Kimberly, 4) David and Michelle, 3) Jason and Melissa, 2) Christopher and Amy, 1) Michael and Jennifer

If you know a lot of Gen Xers named Jason or Melissa, it’s no coincidence. There were 462,821 and 253,274 babies given those respective names in the 1970s.

2) Christopher and Amy

10) Matthew and Nicole, 9) William and Stephanie, 8) Brian and Heather, 7) Robert and Angela, 6) John and Lisa, 5) James and Kimberly, 4) David and Michelle, 3) Jason and Melissa, 2) Christopher and Amy, 1) Michael and Jennifer

Who doesn’t know of at least a dozen Christophers and at least a few Amys from their lifetime? In the 1970s, there were 475,526 and 268,996 babies named Christopher and Amy respectively.

1) Michael and Jennifer

10) Matthew and Nicole, 9) William and Stephanie, 8) Brian and Heather, 7) Robert and Angela, 6) John and Lisa, 5) James and Kimberly, 4) David and Michelle, 3) Jason and Melissa, 2) Christopher and Amy, 1) Michael and Jennifer

These two names aren’t quite as popular among today’s newborns, but there sure are a lot of them among the ranks of millennials and Generation X. That is reflected in the numbers where, in the 1970s, there were 707,458 individuals born named Michael and 581,753 named Jennifer.