Skip to content
NameBattle
My names

Top names by year

Top baby names of the 1950s

Ten birth years · Mary · James lead

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

1940s1960sCompare two names
I

The 1950s lists

Girls100

  1. 1Mary625,606
  2. 2Linda564,364
  3. 3Patricia459,681
  4. 4Susan437,774
  5. 5Deborah430,537
  6. 6Barbara345,722
  7. 7Debra341,348
  8. 8Karen332,531
  9. 9Nancy286,812
  10. 10Donna270,338
  11. 11Cynthia263,432
  12. 12Sandra251,591
  13. 13Pamela237,398
  14. 14Sharon232,807
  15. 15Kathleen224,342
  16. 16Carol222,656
  17. 17Diane210,624
  18. 18Brenda209,241
  19. 19Cheryl171,387
  20. 20Janet167,520
  21. 21Elizabeth165,656
  22. 22Kathy157,930
  23. 23Margaret149,582
  24. 24Janice133,620
  25. 25Carolyn124,067
  26. 26Denise123,783
  27. 27Judy118,060
  28. 28Rebecca115,690
  29. 29Joyce114,984
  30. 30Teresa114,283
  31. 31Christine113,340
  32. 32Catherine108,839
  33. 33Shirley108,807
  34. 34Judith108,758
  35. 35Betty103,204
  36. 36Beverly97,790
  37. 37Lisa95,824
  38. 38Laura95,526
  39. 39Theresa89,608
  40. 40Connie88,799
  41. 41Ann87,047
  42. 42Gloria86,705
  43. 43Julie86,689
  44. 44Gail85,618
  45. 45Joan85,179
  46. 46Paula84,869
  47. 47Peggy84,293
  48. 48Cindy83,979
  49. 49Martha83,190
  50. 50Bonnie83,013
  51. 51Jane82,919
  52. 52Cathy82,719
  53. 53Robin82,423
  54. 54Debbie82,097
  55. 55Diana80,234
  56. 56Marilyn80,161
  57. 57Kathryn77,803
  58. 58Dorothy74,475
  59. 59Wanda72,448
  60. 60Jean72,263
  61. 61Vicki71,980
  62. 62Sheila70,174
  63. 63Virginia69,783
  64. 64Sherry68,322
  65. 65Katherine66,855
  66. 66Rose66,688
  67. 67Lynn66,049
  68. 68Jo63,939
  69. 69Ruth62,538
  70. 70Maria62,458
  71. 71Darlene61,886
  72. 72Jacqueline60,459
  73. 73Rita60,265
  74. 74Rhonda59,816
  75. 75Phyllis57,764
  76. 76Helen57,580
  77. 77Vickie56,857
  78. 78Kim56,080
  79. 79Lori56,070
  80. 80Ellen55,392
  81. 81Elaine54,232
  82. 82Joanne53,568
  83. 83Anne52,404
  84. 84Valerie52,230
  85. 85Alice52,074
  86. 86Frances51,200
  87. 87Suzanne50,330
  88. 88Marie49,263
  89. 89Victoria49,127
  90. 90Kimberly48,958
  91. 91Anita47,588
  92. 92Laurie46,964
  93. 93Michelle46,779
  94. 94Sally46,706
  95. 95Terri46,431
  96. 96Marcia43,733
  97. 97Terry43,194
  98. 98Jennifer43,075
  99. 99Leslie43,049
  100. 100Doris42,898

US babies given each name in the 1950s.

Boys100

  1. 1James843,768
  2. 2Michael837,471
  3. 3Robert830,395
  4. 4John797,922
  5. 5David769,963
  6. 6William591,228
  7. 7Richard535,461
  8. 8Thomas454,385
  9. 9Mark382,589
  10. 10Charles361,177
  11. 11Steven333,666
  12. 12Gary329,933
  13. 13Joseph300,012
  14. 14Donald273,574
  15. 15Ronald271,139
  16. 16Kenneth262,819
  17. 17Paul253,202
  18. 18Larry245,698
  19. 19Daniel243,727
  20. 20Stephen207,276
  21. 21Dennis204,267
  22. 22Timothy198,324
  23. 23Edward188,323
  24. 24Jeffrey184,668
  25. 25George181,031
  26. 26Gregory178,457
  27. 27Kevin159,010
  28. 28Douglas148,205
  29. 29Terry140,724
  30. 30Anthony136,647
  31. 31Jerry136,567
  32. 32Bruce136,457
  33. 33Randy120,537
  34. 34Brian112,336
  35. 35Frank112,321
  36. 36Scott111,819
  37. 37Roger110,158
  38. 38Raymond108,928
  39. 39Peter102,747
  40. 40Patrick96,851
  41. 41Keith91,235
  42. 42Lawrence91,110
  43. 43Wayne88,092
  44. 44Danny86,640
  45. 45Alan83,976
  46. 46Gerald82,626
  47. 47Ricky79,170
  48. 48Carl78,752
  49. 49Christopher78,333
  50. 50Dale75,567
  51. 51Walter72,197
  52. 52Craig69,481
  53. 53Willie66,460
  54. 54Johnny65,786
  55. 55Arthur65,716
  56. 56Steve64,212
  57. 57Joe62,620
  58. 58Randall62,450
  59. 59Russell62,406
  60. 60Jack62,387
  61. 61Henry62,230
  62. 62Harold62,183
  63. 63Roy61,847
  64. 64Andrew60,972
  65. 65Philip60,853
  66. 66Ralph60,440
  67. 67Billy59,277
  68. 68Glenn58,714
  69. 69Stanley57,164
  70. 70Jimmy54,892
  71. 71Rodney54,817
  72. 72Barry54,812
  73. 73Samuel53,767
  74. 74Eric53,295
  75. 75Bobby53,281
  76. 76Albert52,829
  77. 77Phillip52,457
  78. 78Ronnie51,302
  79. 79Martin50,994
  80. 80Mike48,345
  81. 81Eugene48,281
  82. 82Louis47,933
  83. 83Howard47,852
  84. 84Allen47,322
  85. 85Curtis46,324
  86. 86Jeffery45,879
  87. 87Frederick44,288
  88. 88Leonard43,551
  89. 89Harry43,335
  90. 90Micheal40,908
  91. 91Tony40,782
  92. 92Ernest39,680
  93. 93Eddie38,598
  94. 94Fred37,445
  95. 95Darrell37,257
  96. 96Jay36,969
  97. 97Melvin36,165
  98. 98Lee35,826
  99. 99Matthew35,796
  100. 100Vincent35,351

US babies given each name in the 1950s.

II

Questions people ask

Frequently asked

What was the most popular girl name in the 1950s?
Mary was the #1 girl name in the US in the 1950s, given to 625,606 babies.
What was the most popular boy name in the 1950s?
James was the #1 boy name in the US in the 1950s, given to 843,768 babies.

Love a name from the 1950s? 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

Beloved classics quietly disappearingGrandmother-chic: 1920s names ready to returnVictorian names ready for a second centuryClassics hiding in plain sightAll guides