Name Legacy

Baby names in North Carolina, 1970s

1970–1979 · 746,128 recorded births

Michael was the most common name given in North Carolina across the 1970s, with 17,411 births in the decade. The state recorded 746,128 births in total over those years.

Most distinctive to North Carolina in the 1970s

Names given far more often here than nationally in these years. The multiplier is conservative — it is the low end of the plausible range, so a name carried by a handful of births does not outrank one carried by hundreds.

NameBirthsvs national
Linwood23011×
Haywood75
Lynwood55
Shelton219
Jatana5
Scottie469
Thurman101
Everette90

Top 25 in the 1970s

RankNameBirths
#1Michael17,411
#2James15,462
#3Christopher15,155
#4Jennifer12,559
#5William11,550
#6David11,300
#7Robert10,445
#8John10,013
#9Jason9,788
#10Angela9,207
#11Kimberly7,999
#12Brian7,661
#13Amy7,200
#14Melissa6,465
#15Charles6,352
#16Timothy5,807
#17Kevin5,804
#18Lisa5,451
#19Joseph5,349
#20Crystal5,224
#21Jeffrey5,047
#22Anthony4,870
#23Jonathan4,869
#24Shannon4,812
#25Stephanie4,789

Other decades in North Carolina

All North Carolina names, 2025

Source: U.S.A. Social Security Administration. State records begin in 1910. Names given to fewer than five babies in a state in a year are withheld at source. namelegacy.org