US baby names · 1952

Most popular baby names of 1952

In 1952, Social Security card applications recorded 1,854,335 girls and 1,943,633 boys born in the US under names given to at least five babies of the same sex. That covers 6,389 distinct girls’ names and 4,257 boys’ names.

The most common names were Linda (67,082 girls) and James (87,065 boys). The ten most common girls’ names together account for 23% of recorded girls, and the top ten boys’ names for 34% of boys. Compared with 1951, 114,272 more babies were recorded in total.

Against the top 100 of 1951, 1 girls’ names and 2 boys’ names in 1952 are newcomers (girls: Rhonda; boys: Ricky, 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 1952 favourite was rising, at its peak or already fading.

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

← 1951 1953 →

Top 100 girls’ names, 1952

Rank	Name	Girls
#1	Linda	67,082
#2	Mary	65,629
#3	Patricia	53,101
#4	Deborah	49,811
#5	Susan	41,348
#6	Barbara	39,864
#7	Nancy	31,739
#8	Karen	28,956
#9	Debra	26,832
#10	Sandra	26,097
#11	Kathleen	25,767
#12	Carol	24,000
#13	Donna	23,718
#14	Sharon	23,386
#15	Brenda	21,439
#16	Diane	21,063
#17	Pamela	20,879
#18	Cynthia	19,878
#19	Janet	17,921
#20	Christine	17,548
#21	Margaret	17,102
#22	Elizabeth	16,022
#23	Janice	14,978
#24	Carolyn	14,272
#25	Judith	14,064
#26	Judy	13,632
#27	Joyce	13,126
#28	Shirley	12,529
#29	Kathy	12,369
#30	Rebecca	12,227
#31	Cheryl	12,201
#32	Betty	12,129
#33	Denise	11,652
#34	Catherine	11,053
#35	Beverly	10,547
#36	Gloria	10,458
#37	Joan	10,278
#38	Marilyn	9,803
#39	Gail	9,760
#40	Martha	9,696
#41	Bonnie	9,383
#42	Jane	9,322
#43	Peggy	8,990
#44	Connie	8,756
#45	Ann	8,653
#46	Dorothy	8,609
#47	Paula	8,567
#48	Kathryn	8,504
#49	Virginia	8,161
#50	Jean	7,511
#51	Diana	7,392
#52	Teresa	7,294
#53	Laura	7,188
#54	Wanda	7,164
#55	Jo	7,092
#56	Cathy	7,011
#57	Ruth	6,953
#58	Jacqueline	6,938
#59	Katherine	6,891
#60	Theresa	6,809
#61	Vicki	6,775
#62	Rose	6,553
#63	Helen	6,464
#64	Sheila	6,217
#65	Phyllis	6,151
#66	Rita	6,148
#67	Frances	6,079
#68	Sherry	5,956
#69	Alice	5,908
#70	Ellen	5,842
#71	Lynn	5,818
#72	Maria	5,695
#73	Elaine	5,650
#74	Victoria	5,603
#75	Marsha	5,583
#76	Vickie	5,482
#77	Darlene	5,427
#78	Joanne	5,351
#79	Anne	5,257
#80	Marcia	5,210
#81	Sally	5,037
#82	Marie	4,977
#83	Doris	4,950
#84	Suzanne	4,909
#85	Julie	4,497
#86	Lois	4,361
#87	Valerie	4,263
#88	Roberta	4,228
#89	Charlotte	4,204
#90	Evelyn	4,155
#91	Anita	4,134
#92	Constance	4,117
#93	Sarah	4,046
#94	Maureen	4,039
#95	Rhonda	3,963
#96	Dianne	3,895
#97	Glenda	3,880
#98	Jeanne	3,827
#99	Sylvia	3,789
#100	Eileen	3,742

Top 100 boys’ names, 1952

Rank	Name	Boys
#1	James	87,065
#2	Robert	86,588
#3	John	83,140
#4	Michael	79,037
#5	David	71,752
#6	William	63,039
#7	Richard	58,350
#8	Thomas	48,647
#9	Charles	38,866
#10	Gary	38,754
#11	Steven	32,037
#12	Joseph	28,510
#13	Donald	28,269
#14	Larry	28,239
#15	Ronald	27,800
#16	Kenneth	25,909
#17	Mark	25,678
#18	Dennis	24,552
#19	Paul	24,292
#20	Daniel	23,418
#21	Stephen	23,055
#22	George	19,821
#23	Edward	19,501
#24	Gregory	15,191
#25	Bruce	14,480
#26	Jerry	14,438
#27	Timothy	14,167
#28	Douglas	13,680
#29	Terry	12,438
#30	Roger	12,132
#31	Jeffrey	12,006
#32	Frank	11,268
#33	Raymond	11,235
#34	Anthony	11,188
#35	Lawrence	10,302
#36	Peter	9,586
#37	Patrick	9,175
#38	Wayne	9,087
#39	Gerald	9,031
#40	Danny	8,821
#41	Randy	8,646
#42	Alan	8,310
#43	Kevin	7,916
#44	Walter	7,897
#45	Carl	7,823
#46	Dale	7,417
#47	Arthur	7,236
#48	Willie	7,197
#49	Keith	7,174
#50	Henry	6,974
#51	Harold	6,957
#52	Jack	6,937
#53	Johnny	6,771
#54	Scott	6,538
#55	Roy	6,524
#56	Ralph	6,469
#57	Christopher	6,302
#58	Stanley	6,226
#59	Craig	6,187
#60	Philip	6,154
#61	Glenn	5,945
#62	Joe	5,892
#63	Randall	5,892
#64	Brian	5,741
#65	Billy	5,708
#66	Albert	5,660
#67	Samuel	5,647
#68	Andrew	5,572
#69	Barry	5,504
#70	Russell	5,349
#71	Eugene	5,314
#72	Jimmy	5,311
#73	Howard	5,244
#74	Phillip	5,001
#75	Harry	4,993
#76	Frederick	4,979
#77	Bobby	4,960
#78	Allen	4,956
#79	Louis	4,924
#80	Martin	4,735
#81	Ricky	4,655
#82	Ronnie	4,636
#83	Leonard	4,619
#84	Rodney	4,403
#85	Steve	4,313
#86	Curtis	4,175
#87	Ernest	4,123
#88	Eric	3,989
#89	Francis	3,979
#90	Fred	3,960
#91	Melvin	3,920
#92	Lee	3,655
#93	Eddie	3,643
#94	Micheal	3,613
#95	Marvin	3,575
#96	Norman	3,572
#97	Tommy	3,512
#98	Earl	3,456
#99	Clifford	3,317
#100	Theodore	3,270