US baby names · the 1950s

Most popular baby names of the 1950s

These are the most given US names of the 1950s, adding up Social Security counts for each year from 1950 to 1959. Across those years SSA recorded 19,234,376 girls and 20,217,136 boys under names given to five or more babies.

Mary led the girls with 625,606 babies, followed by Linda, Patricia and Susan. For boys, James came first with 843,768, ahead of Michael, Robert and John.

Against the top 100 of the 1940s, 24 girls’ names and 17 boys’ names in the 1950s are newcomers (girls: Debra, Denise, Teresa; boys: Kevin, Randy, Brian). Of these names, 4 of the 100 girls’ names and 18 of the 100 boys’ names are still in the top 100 in 2025.

A decade total favours names that were steady for ten years over a single-year spike, so a list here can differ from any one year’s top 100. The sparklines show each name before and after the 1950s.

SSA names.zip · Social Security card applications · retrieved 2026-10-05

← 1940s 1960s →

Top 100 girls’ names, 1950s

Rank	Name	Girls in decade
#1	Mary	625,606
#2	Linda	564,364
#3	Patricia	459,681
#4	Susan	437,774
#5	Deborah	430,537
#6	Barbara	345,722
#7	Debra	341,348
#8	Karen	332,531
#9	Nancy	286,812
#10	Donna	270,338
#11	Cynthia	263,432
#12	Sandra	251,591
#13	Pamela	237,398
#14	Sharon	232,807
#15	Kathleen	224,342
#16	Carol	222,656
#17	Diane	210,624
#18	Brenda	209,241
#19	Cheryl	171,387
#20	Janet	167,520
#21	Elizabeth	165,656
#22	Kathy	157,930
#23	Margaret	149,582
#24	Janice	133,620
#25	Carolyn	124,067
#26	Denise	123,783
#27	Judy	118,060
#28	Rebecca	115,690
#29	Joyce	114,984
#30	Teresa	114,283
#31	Christine	113,340
#32	Catherine	108,839
#33	Shirley	108,807
#34	Judith	108,758
#35	Betty	103,204
#36	Beverly	97,790
#37	Lisa	95,824
#38	Laura	95,526
#39	Theresa	89,608
#40	Connie	88,799
#41	Ann	87,047
#42	Gloria	86,705
#43	Julie	86,689
#44	Gail	85,618
#45	Joan	85,179
#46	Paula	84,869
#47	Peggy	84,293
#48	Cindy	83,979
#49	Martha	83,190
#50	Bonnie	83,013
#51	Jane	82,919
#52	Cathy	82,719
#53	Robin	82,423
#54	Debbie	82,097
#55	Diana	80,234
#56	Marilyn	80,161
#57	Kathryn	77,803
#58	Dorothy	74,475
#59	Wanda	72,448
#60	Jean	72,263
#61	Vicki	71,980
#62	Sheila	70,174
#63	Virginia	69,783
#64	Sherry	68,322
#65	Katherine	66,855
#66	Rose	66,688
#67	Lynn	66,049
#68	Jo	63,939
#69	Ruth	62,538
#70	Maria	62,458
#71	Darlene	61,886
#72	Jacqueline	60,459
#73	Rita	60,265
#74	Rhonda	59,816
#75	Phyllis	57,764
#76	Helen	57,580
#77	Vickie	56,857
#78	Kim	56,080
#79	Lori	56,070
#80	Ellen	55,392
#81	Elaine	54,232
#82	Joanne	53,568
#83	Anne	52,404
#84	Valerie	52,230
#85	Alice	52,074
#86	Frances	51,200
#87	Suzanne	50,330
#88	Marie	49,263
#89	Victoria	49,127
#90	Kimberly	48,958
#91	Anita	47,588
#92	Laurie	46,964
#93	Michelle	46,779
#94	Sally	46,706
#95	Terri	46,431
#96	Marcia	43,733
#97	Terry	43,194
#98	Jennifer	43,075
#99	Leslie	43,049
#100	Doris	42,898

Top 100 boys’ names, 1950s

Rank	Name	Boys in decade
#1	James	843,768
#2	Michael	837,471
#3	Robert	830,395
#4	John	797,922
#5	David	769,963
#6	William	591,228
#7	Richard	535,461
#8	Thomas	454,385
#9	Mark	382,589
#10	Charles	361,177
#11	Steven	333,666
#12	Gary	329,933
#13	Joseph	300,012
#14	Donald	273,574
#15	Ronald	271,139
#16	Kenneth	262,819
#17	Paul	253,202
#18	Larry	245,698
#19	Daniel	243,727
#20	Stephen	207,276
#21	Dennis	204,267
#22	Timothy	198,324
#23	Edward	188,323
#24	Jeffrey	184,668
#25	George	181,031
#26	Gregory	178,457
#27	Kevin	159,010
#28	Douglas	148,205
#29	Terry	140,724
#30	Anthony	136,647
#31	Jerry	136,567
#32	Bruce	136,457
#33	Randy	120,537
#34	Brian	112,336
#35	Frank	112,321
#36	Scott	111,819
#37	Roger	110,158
#38	Raymond	108,928
#39	Peter	102,747
#40	Patrick	96,851
#41	Keith	91,235
#42	Lawrence	91,110
#43	Wayne	88,092
#44	Danny	86,640
#45	Alan	83,976
#46	Gerald	82,626
#47	Ricky	79,170
#48	Carl	78,752
#49	Christopher	78,333
#50	Dale	75,567
#51	Walter	72,197
#52	Craig	69,481
#53	Willie	66,460
#54	Johnny	65,786
#55	Arthur	65,716
#56	Steve	64,212
#57	Joe	62,620
#58	Randall	62,450
#59	Russell	62,406
#60	Jack	62,387
#61	Henry	62,230
#62	Harold	62,183
#63	Roy	61,847
#64	Andrew	60,972
#65	Philip	60,853
#66	Ralph	60,440
#67	Billy	59,277
#68	Glenn	58,714
#69	Stanley	57,164
#70	Jimmy	54,892
#71	Rodney	54,817
#72	Barry	54,812
#73	Samuel	53,767
#74	Eric	53,295
#75	Bobby	53,281
#76	Albert	52,829
#77	Phillip	52,457
#78	Ronnie	51,302
#79	Martin	50,994
#80	Mike	48,345
#81	Eugene	48,281
#82	Louis	47,933
#83	Howard	47,852
#84	Allen	47,322
#85	Curtis	46,324
#86	Jeffery	45,879
#87	Frederick	44,288
#88	Leonard	43,551
#89	Harry	43,335
#90	Micheal	40,908
#91	Tony	40,782
#92	Ernest	39,680
#93	Eddie	38,598
#94	Fred	37,445
#95	Darrell	37,257
#96	Jay	36,969
#97	Melvin	36,165
#98	Lee	35,826
#99	Matthew	35,796
#100	Vincent	35,351