Generation X names
The most given names of Generation X (born 1965-1980) were Jennifer and Michael. The names most over-represented in those years are Tricia, Latonya, Tracey for girls and Chad, Todd, Darren for boys, each given at least 3.7 times as often then as across 1880-2025. An estimated 47.7 million Americans born in the U.S. in those years are alive in 2026.
Babies given each name per year; 1965-1980 shaded.
Births 1965-1980: SSA national file, published May 8, 2026; the living figure uses SSA’s cohort life tables. SSA’s notes on the data.
The most given names
| # | Name | Births |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jennifer | 752,319 |
| 2 | Lisa | 508,542 |
| 3 | Michelle | 409,992 |
| 4 | Kimberly | 406,742 |
| 5 | Melissa | 372,841 |
| 6 | Amy | 368,031 |
| 7 | Angela | 341,802 |
| 8 | Mary | 267,781 |
| 9 | Heather | 248,745 |
| 10 | Elizabeth | 240,882 |
| 11 | Stephanie | 239,029 |
| 12 | Kelly | 220,443 |
| 13 | Karen | 217,277 |
| 14 | Laura | 215,373 |
| 15 | Julie | 213,179 |
| 16 | Rebecca | 203,552 |
| 17 | Susan | 202,680 |
| 18 | Tammy | 196,361 |
| 19 | Christine | 190,339 |
| 20 | Jessica | 186,708 |
| 21 | Nicole | 180,581 |
| 22 | Patricia | 178,600 |
| 23 | Christina | 176,147 |
| 24 | Amanda | 171,617 |
| 25 | Sarah | 166,382 |
| # | Name | Births |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael | 1,186,528 |
| 2 | David | 815,985 |
| 3 | James | 799,088 |
| 4 | John | 755,630 |
| 5 | Robert | 726,757 |
| 6 | Christopher | 673,561 |
| 7 | Jason | 546,497 |
| 8 | William | 499,537 |
| 9 | Brian | 493,417 |
| 10 | Joseph | 408,116 |
| 11 | Daniel | 389,813 |
| 12 | Richard | 388,380 |
| 13 | Mark | 385,173 |
| 14 | Matthew | 383,199 |
| 15 | Jeffrey | 364,422 |
| 16 | Kevin | 355,994 |
| 17 | Thomas | 348,033 |
| 18 | Scott | 339,503 |
| 19 | Steven | 338,725 |
| 20 | Timothy | 336,104 |
| 21 | Eric | 324,471 |
| 22 | Anthony | 295,449 |
| 23 | Charles | 288,247 |
| 24 | Paul | 262,082 |
| 25 | Kenneth | 219,501 |
Most given: births summed over 1965-1980, per sex.
Which names define Generation X?
A name’s share of births in these years divided by its share across the whole record, for names given to at least 10,000 babies in the span and to one sex at least 90% of the time.
Typical: share in the span over share in 1880-2025.