Skip to content
NameBattle
My names

Top names by year

Top baby names of 1950

One birth year · Linda · James lead

The 100 most-chosen girl and boy names in the US in 1950, from official Social Security birth records. Every name links to its full history and popularity chart. See also the whole 1950s. Then see which names rose and fell after 1950 and what is climbing now.

19491951Compare two names
I

The 1950 lists

Girls100

  1. 1Linda80,433
  2. 2Mary65,481
  3. 3Patricia47,944
  4. 4Barbara41,556
  5. 5Susan38,017
  6. 6Nancy29,617
  7. 7Deborah29,063
  8. 8Sandra28,896
  9. 9Carol26,163
  10. 10Kathleen25,706
  11. 11Sharon24,612
  12. 12Karen24,132
  13. 13Donna21,629
  14. 14Brenda20,799
  15. 15Margaret18,110
  16. 16Diane17,636
  17. 17Pamela16,202
  18. 18Janet16,193
  19. 19Shirley15,891
  20. 20Carolyn15,588
  21. 21Judith15,352
  22. 22Janice15,012
  23. 23Cynthia14,447
  24. 24Elizabeth14,334
  25. 25Judy14,207
  26. 26Betty13,615
  27. 27Joyce13,415
  28. 28Christine12,673
  29. 29Cheryl11,823
  30. 30Gloria11,037
  31. 31Beverly10,503
  32. 32Martha9,839
  33. 33Bonnie9,746
  34. 34Catherine9,655
  35. 35Dorothy9,551
  36. 36Rebecca9,425
  37. 37Marilyn9,285
  38. 38Kathy9,090
  39. 39Jane8,964
  40. 40Joan8,860
  41. 41Peggy8,532
  42. 42Gail8,350
  43. 43Virginia8,312
  44. 44Connie8,145
  45. 45Ann7,921
  46. 46Kathryn7,863
  47. 47Diana7,447
  48. 48Jean7,432
  49. 49Ruth7,128
  50. 50Helen7,061
  51. 51Frances6,975
  52. 52Wanda6,929
  53. 53Phyllis6,695
  54. 54Paula6,631
  55. 55Jacqueline6,455
  56. 56Rita6,424
  57. 57Alice6,363
  58. 58Katherine6,205
  59. 59Debra6,176
  60. 60Elaine6,037
  61. 61Vicki5,823
  62. 62Sherry5,808
  63. 63Laura5,725
  64. 64Jo5,676
  65. 65Theresa5,628
  66. 66Ellen5,567
  67. 67Joanne5,491
  68. 68Marsha5,400
  69. 69Rose5,376
  70. 70Sheila5,322
  71. 71Suzanne5,266
  72. 72Marie5,222
  73. 73Maria5,076
  74. 74Doris5,053
  75. 75Cathy5,031
  76. 76Lynn5,020
  77. 77Marcia4,955
  78. 78Sally4,870
  79. 79Darlene4,830
  80. 80Charlotte4,735
  81. 81Teresa4,724
  82. 82Denise4,514
  83. 83Lois4,504
  84. 84Anne4,459
  85. 85Constance4,441
  86. 86Evelyn4,275
  87. 87Glenda4,215
  88. 88Sarah4,143
  89. 89Maureen4,070
  90. 90Dianne3,921
  91. 91Eileen3,883
  92. 92Irene3,825
  93. 93Anna3,815
  94. 94Victoria3,781
  95. 95Jeanne3,736
  96. 96Roberta3,630
  97. 97Sylvia3,612
  98. 98Joann3,600
  99. 99Anita3,572
  100. 100Sue3,503

US babies given each name in 1950.

Boys100

  1. 1James86,228
  2. 2Robert83,553
  3. 3John79,412
  4. 4Michael65,136
  5. 5David60,729
  6. 6William60,680
  7. 7Richard51,003
  8. 8Thomas45,596
  9. 9Charles39,095
  10. 10Gary33,737
  11. 11Larry31,480
  12. 12Ronald29,908
  13. 13Joseph27,022
  14. 14Donald26,999
  15. 15Kenneth23,813
  16. 16Steven23,250
  17. 17Dennis22,862
  18. 18Paul21,742
  19. 19Stephen20,511
  20. 20George20,183
  21. 21Daniel19,189
  22. 22Edward18,714
  23. 23Mark16,604
  24. 24Jerry15,261
  25. 25Gregory13,311
  26. 26Bruce12,674
  27. 27Roger12,552
  28. 28Douglas12,264
  29. 29Frank11,606
  30. 30Terry11,433
  31. 31Raymond11,180
  32. 32Timothy10,499
  33. 33Lawrence10,173
  34. 34Gerald9,726
  35. 35Wayne9,259
  36. 36Anthony8,612
  37. 37Peter8,362
  38. 38Patrick8,179
  39. 39Danny8,143
  40. 40Walter7,798
  41. 41Alan7,737
  42. 42Willie7,717
  43. 43Jeffrey7,644
  44. 44Carl7,288
  45. 45Harold7,214
  46. 46Arthur7,161
  47. 47Henry6,963
  48. 48Jack6,840
  49. 49Dale6,785
  50. 50Johnny6,581
  51. 51Roy6,454
  52. 52Ralph6,406
  53. 53Philip6,070
  54. 54Joe6,033
  55. 55Jimmy5,761
  56. 56Albert5,754
  57. 57Billy5,674
  58. 58Eugene5,481
  59. 59Glenn5,465
  60. 60Stanley5,453
  61. 61Harry5,375
  62. 62Samuel5,227
  63. 63Howard5,164
  64. 64Phillip5,055
  65. 65Bobby5,019
  66. 66Louis4,947
  67. 67Russell4,945
  68. 68Andrew4,932
  69. 69Craig4,888
  70. 70Randall4,843
  71. 71Allen4,840
  72. 72Christopher4,835
  73. 73Kevin4,752
  74. 74Barry4,694
  75. 75Frederick4,659
  76. 76Ronnie4,616
  77. 77Leonard4,581
  78. 78Keith4,566
  79. 79Brian4,441
  80. 80Randy4,354
  81. 81Ernest4,308
  82. 82Scott4,268
  83. 83Steve4,207
  84. 84Fred4,195
  85. 85Martin4,180
  86. 86Francis4,082
  87. 87Melvin3,886
  88. 88Rodney3,856
  89. 89Eddie3,760
  90. 90Norman3,641
  91. 91Lee3,611
  92. 92Earl3,589
  93. 93Marvin3,493
  94. 94Tommy3,434
  95. 95Clarence3,340
  96. 96Alfred3,235
  97. 97Curtis3,209
  98. 98Eric3,095
  99. 99Theodore2,960
  100. 100Clifford2,940

US babies given each name in 1950.

II

Questions people ask

Frequently asked

What was the most popular girl name in 1950?
Linda was the #1 girl name in the US in 1950, given to 80,433 babies.
What was the most popular boy name in 1950?
James was the #1 boy name in the US in 1950, given to 86,228 babies.

Love a name from 1950? See how it holds up today.

A name from an old list can read timeless or dated depending on where its chart went next. Put it beside a modern favorite and see.

Compare two namesPick another year

Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap

Lists built from the same records

Names of the '80s and '90s, currently restingNames that didn't exist a generation agoVintage names making a comebackBeloved classics quietly disappearingAll guides