US baby names · 1950

Most popular baby names of 1950

In 1950, Social Security card applications recorded 1,713,054 girls and 1,790,262 boys born in the US under names given to at least five babies of the same sex. That covers 6,109 distinct girls’ names and 4,196 boys’ names.

The most common names were Linda (80,433 girls) and James (86,228 boys). The ten most common girls’ names together account for 24% of recorded girls, and the top ten boys’ names for 34% of boys. Compared with 1949, 18,500 more babies were recorded in total.

Against the top 100 of 1949, 4 girls’ names and 2 boys’ names in 1950 are newcomers (girls: Debra, Denise, Irene; boys: Eric, Clifford). Of these names, 7 of the 100 girls’ names and 18 of the 100 boys’ names are still in the top 100 in 2025.

Ranks follow SSA’s order: most births first, with ties listed alphabetically. Each sparkline shows the name’s full history from 1880 to 2025, so you can see whether a 1950 favourite was rising, at its peak or already fading.

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

← 1949 1951 →

Top 100 girls’ names, 1950

Rank	Name	Girls
#1	Linda	80,433
#2	Mary	65,481
#3	Patricia	47,944
#4	Barbara	41,556
#5	Susan	38,017
#6	Nancy	29,617
#7	Deborah	29,063
#8	Sandra	28,896
#9	Carol	26,163
#10	Kathleen	25,706
#11	Sharon	24,612
#12	Karen	24,132
#13	Donna	21,629
#14	Brenda	20,799
#15	Margaret	18,110
#16	Diane	17,636
#17	Pamela	16,202
#18	Janet	16,193
#19	Shirley	15,891
#20	Carolyn	15,588
#21	Judith	15,352
#22	Janice	15,012
#23	Cynthia	14,447
#24	Elizabeth	14,334
#25	Judy	14,207
#26	Betty	13,615
#27	Joyce	13,415
#28	Christine	12,673
#29	Cheryl	11,823
#30	Gloria	11,037
#31	Beverly	10,503
#32	Martha	9,839
#33	Bonnie	9,746
#34	Catherine	9,655
#35	Dorothy	9,551
#36	Rebecca	9,425
#37	Marilyn	9,285
#38	Kathy	9,090
#39	Jane	8,964
#40	Joan	8,860
#41	Peggy	8,532
#42	Gail	8,350
#43	Virginia	8,312
#44	Connie	8,145
#45	Ann	7,921
#46	Kathryn	7,863
#47	Diana	7,447
#48	Jean	7,432
#49	Ruth	7,128
#50	Helen	7,061
#51	Frances	6,975
#52	Wanda	6,929
#53	Phyllis	6,695
#54	Paula	6,631
#55	Jacqueline	6,455
#56	Rita	6,424
#57	Alice	6,363
#58	Katherine	6,205
#59	Debra	6,176
#60	Elaine	6,037
#61	Vicki	5,823
#62	Sherry	5,808
#63	Laura	5,725
#64	Jo	5,676
#65	Theresa	5,628
#66	Ellen	5,567
#67	Joanne	5,491
#68	Marsha	5,400
#69	Rose	5,376
#70	Sheila	5,322
#71	Suzanne	5,266
#72	Marie	5,222
#73	Maria	5,076
#74	Doris	5,053
#75	Cathy	5,031
#76	Lynn	5,020
#77	Marcia	4,955
#78	Sally	4,870
#79	Darlene	4,830
#80	Charlotte	4,735
#81	Teresa	4,724
#82	Denise	4,514
#83	Lois	4,504
#84	Anne	4,459
#85	Constance	4,441
#86	Evelyn	4,275
#87	Glenda	4,215
#88	Sarah	4,143
#89	Maureen	4,070
#90	Dianne	3,921
#91	Eileen	3,883
#92	Irene	3,825
#93	Anna	3,815
#94	Victoria	3,781
#95	Jeanne	3,736
#96	Roberta	3,630
#97	Sylvia	3,612
#98	Joann	3,600
#99	Anita	3,572
#100	Sue	3,503

Top 100 boys’ names, 1950

Rank	Name	Boys
#1	James	86,228
#2	Robert	83,553
#3	John	79,412
#4	Michael	65,136
#5	David	60,729
#6	William	60,680
#7	Richard	51,003
#8	Thomas	45,596
#9	Charles	39,095
#10	Gary	33,737
#11	Larry	31,480
#12	Ronald	29,908
#13	Joseph	27,022
#14	Donald	26,999
#15	Kenneth	23,813
#16	Steven	23,250
#17	Dennis	22,862
#18	Paul	21,742
#19	Stephen	20,511
#20	George	20,183
#21	Daniel	19,189
#22	Edward	18,714
#23	Mark	16,604
#24	Jerry	15,261
#25	Gregory	13,311
#26	Bruce	12,674
#27	Roger	12,552
#28	Douglas	12,264
#29	Frank	11,606
#30	Terry	11,433
#31	Raymond	11,180
#32	Timothy	10,499
#33	Lawrence	10,173
#34	Gerald	9,726
#35	Wayne	9,259
#36	Anthony	8,612
#37	Peter	8,362
#38	Patrick	8,179
#39	Danny	8,143
#40	Walter	7,798
#41	Alan	7,737
#42	Willie	7,717
#43	Jeffrey	7,644
#44	Carl	7,288
#45	Harold	7,214
#46	Arthur	7,161
#47	Henry	6,963
#48	Jack	6,840
#49	Dale	6,785
#50	Johnny	6,581
#51	Roy	6,454
#52	Ralph	6,406
#53	Philip	6,070
#54	Joe	6,033
#55	Jimmy	5,761
#56	Albert	5,754
#57	Billy	5,674
#58	Eugene	5,481
#59	Glenn	5,465
#60	Stanley	5,453
#61	Harry	5,375
#62	Samuel	5,227
#63	Howard	5,164
#64	Phillip	5,055
#65	Bobby	5,019
#66	Louis	4,947
#67	Russell	4,945
#68	Andrew	4,932
#69	Craig	4,888
#70	Randall	4,843
#71	Allen	4,840
#72	Christopher	4,835
#73	Kevin	4,752
#74	Barry	4,694
#75	Frederick	4,659
#76	Ronnie	4,616
#77	Leonard	4,581
#78	Keith	4,566
#79	Brian	4,441
#80	Randy	4,354
#81	Ernest	4,308
#82	Scott	4,268
#83	Steve	4,207
#84	Fred	4,195
#85	Martin	4,180
#86	Francis	4,082
#87	Melvin	3,886
#88	Rodney	3,856
#89	Eddie	3,760
#90	Norman	3,641
#91	Lee	3,611
#92	Earl	3,589
#93	Marvin	3,493
#94	Tommy	3,434
#95	Clarence	3,340
#96	Alfred	3,235
#97	Curtis	3,209
#98	Eric	3,095
#99	Theodore	2,960
#100	Clifford	2,940