Top 100 baby names in the United States in 1972
See the most popular baby names, how many were recorded, and how each rank changed from 1971.
Top 100
| Rank | Name | Recorded count | Change from 1971 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael | 71,845 | 0 |
| 2 | Jennifer | 63,790 | 0 |
| 3 | Christopher | 52,422 | +4 |
| 4 | James | 47,363 | -1 |
| 5 | David | 46,559 | -1 |
| 6 | John | 43,382 | -1 |
| 7 | Robert | 43,301 | -1 |
| 8 | Jason | 37,631 | +1 |
| 9 | Brian | 36,477 | +3 |
| 10 | William | 30,703 | -2 |
| 11 | Michelle | 29,420 | -1 |
| 12 | Lisa | 27,639 | -1 |
| 13 | Kimberly | 26,373 | +1 |
| 14 | Amy | 25,945 | +1 |
| 15 | Angela | 23,630 | +2 |
| 16 | Matthew | 23,047 | +10 |
| 17 | Scott | 22,933 | -4 |
| 18 | Joseph | 22,582 | +3 |
| 19 | Melissa | 22,578 | +3 |
| 20 | Kevin | 22,472 | 0 |
| 21 | Richard | 22,440 | -5 |
| 22 | Daniel | 22,224 | +5 |
| 23 | Eric | 22,145 | +2 |
| 24 | Jeffrey | 21,776 | -6 |
| 25 | Mark | 21,570 | -6 |
| 26 | Steven | 19,956 | -3 |
| 27 | Thomas | 19,653 | -3 |
| 28 | Timothy | 17,719 | 0 |
| 29 | Anthony | 17,588 | +1 |
| 30 | Charles | 17,090 | -1 |
| 31 | Stephanie | 16,947 | +6 |
| 32 | Heather | 16,378 | +6 |
| 33 | Nicole | 15,829 | +30 |
| 34 | Paul | 14,626 | -2 |
| 35 | Tammy | 14,271 | -4 |
| 36 | Julie | 14,119 | 0 |
| 37 | Shannon | 13,979 | -2 |
| 38 | Tracy | 13,976 | -4 |
| 39 | Mary | 13,831 | -6 |
| 40 | Chad | 13,441 | +12 |
| 41 | Rebecca | 13,316 | +10 |
| 42 | Gregory | 13,120 | -2 |
| 43 | Kelly | 12,861 | -4 |
| 44 | Shawn | 12,852 | -2 |
| 45 | Kenneth | 12,412 | -4 |
| 46 | Elizabeth | 12,237 | +2 |
| 47 | Christine | 12,031 | 0 |
| 48 | Laura | 11,819 | -3 |
| 49 | Tina | 11,560 | 0 |
| 50 | Dawn | 11,382 | -7 |
| 51 | Karen | 11,230 | -7 |
| 52 | Stephen | 11,087 | -2 |
| 53 | Susan | 10,618 | -7 |
| 54 | Cynthia | 10,211 | -1 |
| 55 | Christina | 10,208 | +12 |
| 56 | Andrew | 10,156 | +3 |
| 57 | Todd | 10,021 | -3 |
| 58 | Patricia | 9,650 | -1 |
| 59 | Ronald | 9,570 | -3 |
| 60 | Sean | 9,502 | +2 |
| 61 | Lori | 9,462 | -6 |
| 62 | Edward | 9,370 | -4 |
| 63 | Patrick | 9,344 | -2 |
| 64 | Donald | 9,338 | -4 |
| 65 | Jonathan | 9,270 | +8 |
| 66 | Keith | 9,190 | +2 |
| 67 | Ryan | 8,934 | +38 |
| 68 | Wendy | 8,563 | -2 |
| 69 | Stacy | 8,518 | -4 |
| 70 | Andrea | 8,162 | +4 |
| 71 | Sandra | 7,954 | -2 |
| 72 | Aaron | 7,923 | +4 |
| 73 | Gary | 7,807 | -3 |
| 74 | Maria | 7,779 | +5 |
| 75 | Pamela | 7,493 | -11 |
| 76 | Michele | 7,449 | +6 |
| 77 | Jeremy | 7,431 | +10 |
| 78 | Douglas | 7,426 | -7 |
| 79 | Denise | 7,407 | -1 |
| 80 | Tonya | 7,273 | +12 |
| 81 | Tara | 7,268 | +20 |
| 82 | George | 7,221 | -5 |
| 83 | Teresa | 7,205 | -8 |
| 84 | Bryan | 7,079 | +13 |
| 85 | Stacey | 6,923 | -2 |
| 86 | Craig | 6,768 | -2 |
| 87 | Larry | 6,669 | -2 |
| 88 | Dana | 6,640 | -7 |
| 89 | Peter | 6,501 | +2 |
| 90 | Jamie | 6,490 | +13 |
| 91 | Rachel | 6,432 | +16 |
| 92 | Troy | 6,402 | -4 |
| 93 | Melanie | 6,320 | +37 |
| 94 | Donna | 6,297 | -14 |
| 95 | Brenda | 6,296 | -5 |
| 96 | Deborah | 6,294 | -24 |
| 97 | Jessica | 6,230 | +27 |
| 98 | Monica | 6,159 | +2 |
| 99 | Sharon | 6,152 | -13 |
| 100 | April | 6,137 | +14 |
Data from US Social Security Administration · through 2025.