US baby names · 1951

Most popular baby names of 1951

In 1951, Social Security card applications recorded 1,800,859 girls and 1,882,837 boys born in the US under names given to at least five babies of the same sex. That covers 6,213 distinct girls’ names and 4,253 boys’ names.

The most common names were Linda (73,982 girls) and James (87,256 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 1950, 180,380 more babies were recorded in total.

Against the top 100 of 1950, 3 girls’ names and 1 boys’ names in 1951 are newcomers (girls: Vickie, Julie, Valerie; boys: Micheal). 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 1951 favourite was rising, at its peak or already fading.

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

← 1950 1952 →

Top 100 girls’ names, 1951

Rank	Name	Girls
#1	Linda	73,982
#2	Mary	65,721
#3	Patricia	56,446
#4	Deborah	42,053
#5	Barbara	40,617
#6	Susan	40,228
#7	Nancy	30,346
#8	Karen	27,998
#9	Sandra	27,665
#10	Kathleen	26,716
#11	Carol	24,781
#12	Donna	24,074
#13	Sharon	23,920
#14	Brenda	21,717
#15	Diane	19,840
#16	Pamela	18,570
#17	Margaret	17,692
#18	Debra	17,064
#19	Janet	16,947
#20	Cynthia	16,295
#21	Janice	15,958
#22	Carolyn	15,206
#23	Elizabeth	15,118
#24	Christine	15,017
#25	Judith	14,935
#26	Judy	14,017
#27	Shirley	13,919
#28	Joyce	13,472
#29	Betty	12,822
#30	Cheryl	11,986
#31	Gloria	10,951
#32	Rebecca	10,932
#33	Beverly	10,860
#34	Catherine	10,566
#35	Kathy	10,406
#36	Gail	9,886
#37	Bonnie	9,706
#38	Martha	9,605
#39	Joan	9,403
#40	Peggy	9,208
#41	Marilyn	9,148
#42	Dorothy	9,089
#43	Jane	8,942
#44	Connie	8,722
#45	Kathryn	8,460
#46	Ann	8,423
#47	Virginia	8,180
#48	Denise	8,116
#49	Jean	7,627
#50	Diana	7,396
#51	Paula	7,290
#52	Wanda	7,233
#53	Ruth	7,076
#54	Helen	6,949
#55	Katherine	6,930
#56	Jacqueline	6,915
#57	Phyllis	6,791
#58	Vicki	6,630
#59	Frances	6,584
#60	Laura	6,466
#61	Rita	6,415
#62	Alice	6,315
#63	Teresa	6,213
#64	Theresa	6,190
#65	Rose	6,185
#66	Elaine	6,069
#67	Jo	6,001
#68	Ellen	5,945
#69	Sheila	5,897
#70	Sherry	5,889
#71	Cathy	5,697
#72	Lynn	5,629
#73	Joanne	5,358
#74	Marcia	5,299
#75	Maria	5,236
#76	Marsha	5,188
#77	Sally	5,138
#78	Marie	5,046
#79	Darlene	5,030
#80	Doris	5,025
#81	Victoria	4,907
#82	Anne	4,873
#83	Suzanne	4,828
#84	Charlotte	4,649
#85	Lois	4,533
#86	Constance	4,367
#87	Vickie	4,320
#88	Evelyn	4,232
#89	Glenda	4,135
#90	Dianne	4,034
#91	Sarah	4,028
#92	Roberta	3,979
#93	Maureen	3,878
#94	Anna	3,870
#95	Eileen	3,816
#96	Anita	3,785
#97	Sylvia	3,777
#98	Jeanne	3,768
#99	Julie	3,686
#100	Valerie	3,559

Top 100 boys’ names, 1951

Rank	Name	Boys
#1	James	87,256
#2	Robert	86,353
#3	John	81,569
#4	Michael	72,807
#5	David	64,788
#6	William	62,781
#7	Richard	54,541
#8	Thomas	48,275
#9	Charles	39,406
#10	Gary	38,160
#11	Larry	30,558
#12	Ronald	29,049
#13	Steven	28,363
#14	Joseph	28,147
#15	Donald	27,916
#16	Kenneth	25,841
#17	Dennis	24,264
#18	Paul	22,853
#19	Stephen	22,474
#20	Mark	21,201
#21	Daniel	21,121
#22	George	20,212
#23	Edward	19,913
#24	Jerry	15,164
#25	Gregory	14,102
#26	Bruce	14,090
#27	Douglas	13,902
#28	Timothy	12,705
#29	Roger	12,425
#30	Terry	12,216
#31	Frank	11,477
#32	Raymond	11,227
#33	Lawrence	10,266
#34	Anthony	9,836
#35	Jeffrey	9,713
#36	Gerald	9,539
#37	Wayne	9,327
#38	Peter	8,999
#39	Patrick	8,751
#40	Alan	8,408
#41	Danny	8,179
#42	Walter	8,038
#43	Carl	7,641
#44	Arthur	7,414
#45	Willie	7,226
#46	Harold	7,178
#47	Henry	7,120
#48	Jack	7,004
#49	Dale	6,963
#50	Johnny	6,700
#51	Ralph	6,525
#52	Roy	6,466
#53	Kevin	6,349
#54	Stanley	6,205
#55	Philip	6,098
#56	Randy	6,034
#57	Joe	5,824
#58	Glenn	5,803
#59	Keith	5,767
#60	Albert	5,758
#61	Christopher	5,734
#62	Jimmy	5,687
#63	Craig	5,623
#64	Billy	5,610
#65	Eugene	5,580
#66	Randall	5,532
#67	Samuel	5,476
#68	Scott	5,381
#69	Andrew	5,373
#70	Harry	5,303
#71	Barry	5,284
#72	Allen	5,179
#73	Russell	5,175
#74	Howard	5,108
#75	Brian	5,101
#76	Louis	5,089
#77	Bobby	5,006
#78	Frederick	4,984
#79	Phillip	4,910
#80	Leonard	4,738
#81	Martin	4,596
#82	Ronnie	4,530
#83	Ernest	4,382
#84	Rodney	4,296
#85	Francis	4,199
#86	Steve	4,053
#87	Fred	3,994
#88	Melvin	3,837
#89	Eddie	3,748
#90	Norman	3,729
#91	Curtis	3,716
#92	Lee	3,682
#93	Eric	3,664
#94	Tommy	3,582
#95	Earl	3,571
#96	Marvin	3,557
#97	Micheal	3,276
#98	Clarence	3,232
#99	Theodore	3,216
#100	Alfred	3,203