Birth year
Born in 1961? Here's your year in charts
In 1961, the top baby names were Mary and Michael, unemployment averaged 6.7%, a newborn could expect to live 70.2 years, and the world had 3.06 billion people.
Top baby names of 1961
Girls
From Social Security card applications for babies born in the U.S.; names given to fewer than 5 babies are left out. Pick a name to see how many babies got it every year since 1880.
1961 then vs. now
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Unemployment rate
See the chart6.7% in 1961, compared with 4.2% in September 2026
Share of the labor force out of work, the year's average.
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Life expectancy at birth
See the chart70.2 years in 1961, compared with 78.7 years in 2018
How long a baby born that year could expect to live, at that year's death rates.
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People in the world
See the chart3.06 billion in 1961, compared with 8.22 billion in 2025
World population at mid-year.
Prices are in dollars of the day, not adjusted for inflation. A figure is left out when its chart doesn't cover 1961.
$100 in 1961 buys about as much as $1,127.20 in September 2026. Try the inflation calculator
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Sources and dates
- Baby names: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications (national data) (Public domain (U.S. government work)), data as of December 31, 2025
- Unemployment rate: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (Public domain (U.S. government work)), data as of September 30, 2026
- Life expectancy at birth: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, Death rates and life expectancy at birth (Public domain (U.S. government work)), data as of December 31, 2018
- People in the world: World Bank, World Development Indicators: Population, total (CC BY 4.0 (credit the World Bank)), data as of December 31, 2025