Fads | Life | Fashion | 80s

10 Baby Names That Seemed Like They Were The Only Ones That Existed In The 80s

By Tanya |

It seemed like everyone had the same names when we were growing up. There were always at least two or three kids in our classes who had the same names and even though they may have spelled it different, it made everything more complicated.  

Meagan Kelly

Nowadays, parents all claim that they want unique names. Let's be real though, our parents thought the same thing. Trending names are common in every decade, the most popular choices just change.

Why do these names get popular? It might be because certain celebrities are popular at the time so it inspires more people. Let's check out the 5 most popular names for girls and the 5 most popular names for boys in the 80s and see if we can figure out why they were everywhere.

Michael

So in the 80s there were A LOT of famous Michaels in the 80s. Of course there was Michael Jackson, George Michael, Brett Michaels, Michael Keaton, and Michael J. Fox. All of these combined might help skew new parents interest to the name.

Giphy

Christopher

Warner Bros.

Christopher seems to have been popular for decades now, but in the 80s it might have been influenced by a few stars. Chris Rock was getting pretty popular, Christopher Reeves's Superman was huge, and maybe even Christopher Lloyd helped parents take notice of the name. Who can really know for sure.

Matthew

Paramount Pictures

One of the most popular movies in the 80s was Ferris Bueller's Day Off, so it makes sense that Matthew would be a popular name thanks to the star Matthew Broderick.

Joshua

Warner Bros.

A couple famous "Joshs" were around in the 80s. We had Josh Brolin in Goonies as well as Josh Saviano in The Wonder Years. Of course you can't forget Josh Baskin, the character Tom Hanks played in the movie Big.

David

TriStar Pictures

David Bowie was probably the most famous David in the 80s, followed by David Hasslehoff, David Cassidy and David Lee Roth.

Of course a lot of these names have biblical origins which might be the real source, but it's a lot more fun to imagine a bunch of baby David Bowies running around!

But what about the girls' names?

Which girls names were the most popular in the 80s?

Jessica

AP

Jessica is an interesting one because it has been popular for SO long. It's possible that Sarah Jessica Parker influenced this huge surge, or maybe it was Jessica Lange. There was also a girl who was famous for falling into a well who the media dubbed "Baby Jessica".

Jennifer

Vestron Pictures

Jennifer may have been a popular name thanks to Jennifer Grey from Dirty Dancing, Jennifer Beals from Flashdance, or maybe Jennifer Connolly who starred in Labrynth.

Amanda

ABC

The movie Can't Buy Me Love starred a girl named Amanda Peterson. Another super popular Amanda would have been the character in Dynasty with that name.

Ashley

CBS

Ashley used to be thought of as a boys name, but in the 80s the character Ashley Abbott on The Young and the Restless became super popular and kind of stole the name.

Sarah

EMPICS Entertainment

Sarah has always ranked as one of the most popular names. Apparently ever since they started recording these statistics back in 1880 the name Sarah has been on the list. There were a few famous Sarahs in the 80s though. There was Sara Anderson in Adventures in Babysitting, which while spelled different it is close. There was also (as mentioned before) Sarah Jessica Parker, and Sarah Ferguson, Dutchess of York.

Do you have one of the most popular names?

More Throwbacks

90s

This One Teen's Tweet About Burning CDs Will Honestly Ruin Your Day

By Tanya
All of us who would consider ourselves to be 80s and 90s kids aren't really that old, right? We are still in the prime of our lives, and a lot of us still feel like we're just getting started on our path to being a "real grown-up." Maybe it's not the greatest that a lot of us still feel young, but times have changed since our parents were in their 30s. We've learned how to chill out and take our time in our lives. There's no rush, so let's all just relax and try to stay young longer.Here's the

Fads

Ikea Is Bringing Back The Couch Of Your Nightmares, And People Have A Lot To Say About It

By Tanya
Remember when you were growing up and you'd go hang out in the living room for hours and hours, never leaving your spot on the couch? Well, honestly I can't pretend much has changed, other than the fact that the couch has fewer flowers on it than ever before. Most people stick to a single color now, but back in the day there was apparently nothing more desirable than a good floral pattern. Big flowers, small flowers, pinks ones, or blue, every combination was waiting for you. We've all seen a lot of bad couches in our days, but when

Fads

There's Now Only One Blockbuster Left, But It Refuses To Give Up

By Tanya
We've all known for a while that Blockbuster was basically a lost cause. Most Blockbuster locations closed down many years ago, leaving behind their empty buildings that look like they house all the ghosts of the 90s. However there were a few places where Blockbuster Video refused to die. There were six locations remaining in Alaska, and one in Bend, Oregon, but this weekend marks a sad moment. All of the Alaskan Blockbusters have been officially closed. Four had actually been closed earlier in the year, but this weekend the final two locations closed their doors for good. But don't

Fashion

Fashion Experts Are Trying To Trick Us Into Wearing Flared Jeans Again And We Aren't Having It

By Tanya
Listen, I know fashion is cyclical. I know that things are going to go in and out of style, but here's the thing, not everything should. Fashion is also highly subjective. We all have our own opinions, but when the fashion magazines start telling us "this is what is in style" we all second guess our choices. Now, these experts are telling us to dust off our old flared jeans and honestly, I don't understand why. I know that flared jeans were huge in the disco-era, and I know this because when they came back in the late 90s and

90s

Lip Smacker's New Christmas Collection Brings Back Your 90s Favorites. All Of Them.

By Tanya
If there was one product that you had to pick that would best represent what it was like to be a preteen in the 90s, I think a lot of us girls would agree that Lip Smackers would be the best choice. These little tubes of oftentimes glittered, scented, colorful lip-balm made us all feel like the fanciest of ladies, totally ready to grab our purses and do whatever it is that our moms did when they weren't paying attention to us. You had so many different choices too. You'd have a classic berry scented red Lip Smacker, you'd have

Fashion

25 Bridesmaids Dresses That'll Actually Make You Glad The 80s Are Over

By Tanya
Listen, getting married in the 80s was kind of wild. Not only did you have to deal with the big hair, mullets, and mustaches, but the fashion was a whole other bag of worms. There was no way to predict how insane the dresses were going to look, but it was always safe to assume they would be pretty wild. Puffy sleeves, shiny fabric, and a lot of ruffles seemed to be the norm at the time. Let's not forget that return to the Victorian era that saw women trying to dress like an old-time princess. But, we brave the