In 1981 parents in Illinois chose a mix of unique and traditional names for their newborns, reflecting the diverse influences of the times from Springfield to Naperville. Discover the most popular baby names in Illinois for 1981, a list that not only reveals current trends but also offers inspiration for expectant parents. Join us as we explore these names that capture the spirit and culture of Illinois in 1981.
| 1 | Michael | 3,525 | Jennifer | 2,843 |
| 2 | Matthew | 2,295 | Jessica | 1,651 |
| 3 | Christopher | 2,202 | Amanda | 1,574 |
| 4 | David | 2,024 | Sarah | 1,540 |
| 5 | Jason | 2,019 | Melissa | 1,355 |
| 6 | James | 1,732 | Nicole | 1,311 |
| 7 | Robert | 1,729 | Elizabeth | 1,201 |
| 8 | Daniel | 1,700 | Michelle | 1,023 |
| 9 | John | 1,663 | Amy | 994 |
| 10 | Joseph | 1,643 | Stephanie | 959 |
| 11 | Joshua | 1,623 | Tiffany | 911 |
| 12 | Brian | 1,536 | Rebecca | 875 |
| 13 | Ryan | 1,327 | Angela | 783 |
| 14 | Nicholas | 1,248 | Kimberly | 766 |
| 15 | Eric | 1,168 | Lisa | 766 |
| 16 | Anthony | 1,156 | Erin | 753 |
| 17 | William | 1,148 | Heather | 748 |
| 18 | Justin | 1,129 | Laura | 727 |
| 19 | Andrew | 1,095 | Kelly | 697 |
| 20 | Adam | 1,091 | Christina | 629 |
| 21 | Timothy | 1,069 | Rachel | 601 |
| 22 | Kevin | 1,046 | Mary | 598 |
| 23 | Brandon | 941 | Sara | 595 |
| 24 | Jonathan | 941 | Kristin | 587 |
| 25 | Steven | 900 | Jamie | 571 |
| 26 | Thomas | 900 | Crystal | 567 |
| 27 | Jeffrey | 888 | Amber | 563 |
| 28 | Mark | 820 | Megan | 561 |
| 29 | Jeremy | 813 | Andrea | 559 |
| 30 | Richard | 777 | Katherine | 506 |
| 31 | Aaron | 764 | Julie | 503 |
| 32 | Scott | 737 | Emily | 484 |
| 33 | Charles | 669 | Erica | 474 |
| 34 | Patrick | 632 | Danielle | 469 |
| 35 | Paul | 598 | Maria | 437 |
| 36 | Benjamin | 580 | Kristen | 415 |
| 37 | Nathan | 530 | Lauren | 402 |
| 38 | Jose | 489 | Shannon | 400 |
| 39 | Kenneth | 488 | Christine | 399 |
| 40 | Gregory | 464 | April | 383 |
| 41 | Jacob | 457 | Kathryn | 383 |
| 42 | Bradley | 446 | Latoya | 335 |
| 43 | Sean | 426 | Samantha | 334 |
| 44 | Stephen | 409 | Kathleen | 332 |
| 45 | Edward | 407 | Katie | 331 |
| 46 | Chad | 381 | Natalie | 314 |
| 47 | Dustin | 378 | Jacqueline | 295 |
| 48 | Kyle | 377 | Brooke | 288 |
| 49 | Peter | 374 | Courtney | 287 |
| 50 | Jesse | 343 | Patricia | 285 |
| 51 | Juan | 337 | Monica | 283 |
| 52 | Ronald | 320 | Lindsay | 280 |
| 53 | Donald | 313 | Carrie | 277 |
| 54 | Travis | 313 | Alicia | 271 |
| 55 | Keith | 302 | Brandy | 265 |
| 56 | Bryan | 300 | Tara | 256 |
| 57 | Marcus | 297 | Karen | 251 |
| 58 | Antonio | 287 | Veronica | 250 |
| 59 | Derek | 285 | Jill | 246 |
| 60 | Shawn | 277 | Anna | 243 |
| 61 | Samuel | 269 | Ashley | 243 |
| 62 | Erik | 263 | Catherine | 236 |
| 63 | Douglas | 260 | Susan | 232 |
| 64 | George | 242 | Dawn | 227 |
| 65 | Phillip | 237 | Sandra | 222 |
| 66 | Zachary | 233 | Kristina | 221 |
| 67 | Joel | 229 | Victoria | 217 |
| 68 | Craig | 224 | Cynthia | 216 |
| 69 | Alexander | 220 | Leslie | 216 |
| 70 | Corey | 218 | Denise | 215 |
| 71 | Lucas | 217 | Theresa | 214 |
| 72 | Carlos | 214 | Vanessa | 214 |
| 73 | Brett | 213 | Tina | 213 |
| 74 | Jared | 211 | Lindsey | 211 |
| 75 | Luis | 206 | Dana | 208 |
| 76 | Victor | 201 | Brandi | 205 |
| 77 | Dennis | 195 | Anne | 204 |
| 78 | Nathaniel | 189 | Diana | 200 |
| 79 | Frank | 187 | Gina | 199 |
| 80 | Todd | 187 | Margaret | 196 |
| 81 | Larry | 182 | Pamela | 196 |
| 82 | Gary | 181 | Stacy | 195 |
| 83 | Raymond | 180 | Allison | 194 |
| 84 | Cory | 173 | Julia | 192 |
| 85 | Carl | 169 | Nancy | 192 |
| 86 | Philip | 167 | Monique | 191 |
| 87 | Jeffery | 162 | Erika | 187 |
| 88 | Lawrence | 162 | Tracy | 186 |
| 89 | Mario | 162 | Valerie | 184 |
| 90 | Shaun | 161 | Candice | 183 |
| 91 | Gabriel | 160 | Heidi | 179 |
| 92 | Luke | 159 | Katrina | 179 |
| 93 | Vincent | 157 | Holly | 177 |
| 94 | Derrick | 156 | Meghan | 176 |
| 95 | Jesus | 156 | Stacey | 176 |
| 96 | Miguel | 155 | Colleen | 168 |
| 97 | Curtis | 153 | Beth | 167 |
| 98 | Jeremiah | 153 | Melanie | 167 |
| 99 | Jorge | 153 | Renee | 166 |
| 100 | Ricardo | 147 | Tanya | 164 |