Most popular baby names of 1968

Looking at baby name trends from 1967 to 1968, there was remarkable consistency among the top names in America. Lisa maintained its #1 position for girls, while Michael held steady as the most popular boys' name. The top three boys' names remained unchanged with Michael, David, and James (though John moved up to overtake James in 1968). For girls, while Lisa stayed at #1, there was movement within the top three as Michelle climbed from #3 to #2, and Kimberly dropped from #2 to #3.

Looking at the top 10 girls' names in 1968, Jennifer made the most dramatic jump, climbing six spots from #10 in 1967 to #4 in 1968. Melissa also showed impressive momentum, moving up four places to claim the #5 spot. The rest of the top 10 saw modest shifts, with Mary dropping two positions to #6. Names ending with the "ee" sound remained particularly popular, with names like Kimberly, Tammy, and Kelly appearing in the top ranks. The letter "M" also dominated the top of the list, with Michelle, Melissa, and Mary all appearing in the top six.

For boys' names in 1968, the top 10 remained remarkably stable compared to the previous year. The most significant movement came from Brian, who maintained his #10 position, while Christopher held steady at #9. Timothy dropped two spots from #11 to #13, while Jeffrey climbed two positions to #11. Traditional masculine names continued their dominance, with six of the top 10 names being biblical or saints' names (Michael, David, John, James, Robert, and William). Short, classic names were clearly preferred by parents of boys, with five of the top 10 having just one or two syllables.

Overall, the late 1960s showed a preference for more traditional names for boys, while girls' names displayed greater variety and movement in the rankings. Names ending with the "a" sound were trending for girls, with Angela, Melissa, and Patricia all appearing in the top 15. For boys, names beginning with "J" were particularly popular, with John, James, Jeffrey, and Joseph all ranking highly. Interestingly, many top names from this period would remain popular for decades to come, showing the enduring appeal of classics like Michael, Lisa, and Jennifer. The stability in the boys' rankings compared to the more dynamic girls' rankings suggests parents were more experimental when naming daughters than sons during this period.

Top baby names of 1968