Who here used to watch Family Ties?

I sure did. (The last few seasons, anyway.)

The popular sitcom debuted in mid-1982. It was one of the top 5 shows in the nation from 1984 to 1987, and new episodes aired until mid-1989.

The show had a big impact on baby names, especially the following four.

Mallory

Middle child Mallory was played by Justine Bateman. Check out how Family Ties affected the popularity of the name Mallory during the mid-1980s:

1980: 17 baby girls and 8 baby boys named Mallory

1981: 27 baby girls and 9 baby boys named Mallory

1982: 45 baby girls and 9 baby boys named Mallory

1983 : 689 baby girls and 10 baby boys named Mallory

: 689 baby girls and 10 baby boys named Mallory 1984: 1,470 baby girls and 15 baby boys named Mallory

1985: 2,037 baby girls and 21 baby boys named Mallory

1986: 3,323 baby girls and 23 baby boys named Mallory

1987: 3,138 baby girls and 24 baby boys named Mallory

1988: 2,365 baby girls and 20 baby boys named Mallory

1989: 1,971 baby girls and 16 baby boys named Mallory

Mallory was a top-100 name in both 1986 (83rd) and 1987 (91st). Usage of the name not only skyrocketed for girls but also rose slightly for boys, surprisingly.

Usage of spelling variants also increased dramatically. Mallorie, Malorie and Malarie got a boost on the charts, while Mallory-inspired debuts throughout the ’80s included Mallori (the top debut name of 1983), Mallery, Mallary, Malory, Malori, Malerie, Malloree, Maloree, Mallarie, Malary, Malari, Mallerie, Mallari, Malery, Malaree, Melorie, Mallorey, Malorey and Melarie.

Alex

Next up is everyone’s favorite character, Alex, played by Michael J. Fox. Here are the numbers for the name Alex:

1980: 1,676 baby boys and 28 baby girls named Alex

1981: 1,871 baby boys and 32 baby girls named Alex

1982: 1,955 baby boys and 46 baby girls named Alex

1983 : 2,148 baby boys and 27 baby girls named Alex

: 2,148 baby boys and 27 baby girls named Alex 1984: 3,017 baby boys and 84 baby girls named Alex

1985: 3,902 baby boys and 85 baby girls named Alex

1986: 5,104 baby boys and 142 baby girls named Alex

1987: 6,040 baby boys and 211 baby girls named Alex

1988: 6,396 baby boys and 269 baby girls named Alex

1989: 6,538 baby boys and 240 baby girls named Alex

Alex was already on the rise in the early ’80s, but the show gave the name a big boost mid-decade.

Elyse

Now let’s look at the name of Keaton mom Elyse, played by Meredith Baxter-Birney.

1980: 82 baby girls named Elyse

1981: 78 baby girls named Elyse

1982: 80 baby girls named Elyse

1983 : 243 baby girls named Elyse

: 243 baby girls named Elyse 1984: 426 baby girls named Elyse

1985: 637 baby girls named Elyse

1986: 701 baby girls named Elyse

1987: 804 baby girls named Elyse

1988: 790 baby girls named Elyse

1989: 612 baby girls named Elyse

The name Elyse, which had dropped out of the top 1,000 in the mid-1950s, was boosted back into the top 1,000 by Family Ties in 1983. It even reached the top 500 for a time (1985-1989). Usage of the spelling Elise also increased during this period.

Keaton

Finally, let’s look at the family surname Keaton.

1980: 26 baby boys named Keaton

1981: 15 baby boys named Keaton

1982: 23 baby boys and 6 baby girls named Keaton

1983 : 47 baby boys and 8 baby girls named Keaton

: 47 baby boys and 8 baby girls named Keaton 1984: 69 baby boys named Keaton

1985: 109 baby boys and 9 baby girls named Keaton

1986: 131 baby boys and 10 baby girls named Keaton

1987: 135 baby boys and 8 baby girls named Keaton

1988: 163 baby boys and 11 baby girls named Keaton

1989: 225 baby boys and 14 baby girls named Keaton

Keaton entered the boys’ top 1,000 for the first time in 1985. It’s been on the rise for both genders ever since. In 2010, nearly 800 baby boys and nearly 50 baby girls were named Keaton.