Most popular baby names of 1986

Looking at the baby name rankings for 1985 and 1986, consistency seems to be the theme among the top names. The top three names for both boys and girls in the US remained completely unchanged from 1985 to 1986, with Jessica, Ashley, and Jennifer continuing to dominate the girls' charts while Michael, Christopher, and Matthew held steady for boys. This remarkable stability at the very top highlights how certain names can maintain their popularity across multiple years, suggesting parents continued to be drawn to these classic yet contemporary choices.

Among the top 10 girls' names in the US for 1986, we see that Amanda moved up one spot to 4th place, overtaking Jennifer which dropped to 3rd. Brittany made an impressive climb into the top 10, jumping to 8th place from 17th the previous year. This significant rise suggests Brittany was gaining substantial momentum among American parents. The traditional name Elizabeth held steady at 10th place, demonstrating its enduring appeal amidst changing trends.

For boys' names in the US, the top 10 showed minimal movement between 1985 and 1986. Joshua maintained its 4th position, while David and Daniel swapped places at 5th and 6th. Interestingly, Andrew moved up three spots from 11th to 8th place, marking the most significant change among the top boys' names. The continued dominance of Michael, which had been the #1 boys' name for years, demonstrates how certain male names can enjoy remarkably long periods at the top of the charts compared to girls' names.

Looking at broader naming patterns, there appears to be a strong preference for feminine-sounding endings in girls' names, with six of the top 10 US girls' names ending in "a" or the "ee" sound (Jessica, Amanda, Jennifer, Stephanie, Nicole, Brittany). For boys, traditional biblical names continued to dominate with Michael, Christopher, Matthew, Joshua, David, Daniel, and James all appearing in the top 10. The UK showed some regional differences, with Laura topping the girls' chart and David leading for boys, though there was considerable overlap with US preferences. Notably, names like Nicola and Claire ranked high in the UK but were less popular in the US, highlighting cultural differences in naming preferences across the Atlantic.

Top baby names of 1986