US baby names · 1953

Most popular baby names of 1953

In 1953, Social Security card applications recorded 1,881,301 girls and 1,972,299 boys born in the US under names given to at least five babies of the same sex. That covers 6,497 distinct girls’ names and 4,341 boys’ names.

The most common names were Mary (64,389 girls) and Robert (86,243 boys). The ten most common girls’ names together account for 23% of recorded girls, and the top ten boys’ names for 33% of boys. Compared with 1952, 55,632 more babies were recorded in total.

Against the top 100 of 1952, 4 girls’ names and 2 boys’ names in 1953 are newcomers (girls: Robin, Leslie, Anna; boys: Jay, Vincent). Of these names, 7 of the 100 girls’ names and 17 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 1953 favourite was rising, at its peak or already fading.

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

← 1952 1954 →

Top 100 girls’ names, 1953

Rank	Name	Girls
#1	Mary	64,389
#2	Linda	61,281
#3	Deborah	52,199
#4	Patricia	51,019
#5	Susan	44,297
#6	Barbara	38,473
#7	Debra	36,856
#8	Nancy	30,620
#9	Karen	29,858
#10	Pamela	25,760
#11	Sandra	25,500
#12	Cynthia	25,140
#13	Donna	24,227
#14	Kathleen	23,731
#15	Sharon	23,040
#16	Carol	22,290
#17	Diane	21,351
#18	Brenda	20,122
#19	Janet	17,771
#20	Margaret	16,195
#21	Elizabeth	16,099
#22	Janice	14,627
#23	Kathy	13,400
#24	Rebecca	12,959
#25	Carolyn	12,919
#26	Joyce	12,796
#27	Judy	12,735
#28	Cheryl	12,264
#29	Shirley	12,148
#30	Judith	11,969
#31	Denise	11,950
#32	Christine	11,793
#33	Betty	11,369
#34	Beverly	11,240
#35	Catherine	10,849
#36	Marilyn	10,742
#37	Joan	9,774
#38	Gloria	9,680
#39	Gail	9,585
#40	Paula	9,557
#41	Martha	9,263
#42	Teresa	8,932
#43	Jane	8,913
#44	Peggy	8,762
#45	Bonnie	8,615
#46	Ann	8,579
#47	Connie	8,575
#48	Kathryn	8,324
#49	Dorothy	8,162
#50	Theresa	7,715
#51	Laura	7,628
#52	Jean	7,571
#53	Virginia	7,546
#54	Jo	7,513
#55	Diana	7,438
#56	Cathy	7,301
#57	Wanda	7,203
#58	Jacqueline	7,128
#59	Rose	7,004
#60	Sheila	6,965
#61	Vicki	6,821
#62	Ruth	6,582
#63	Katherine	6,559
#64	Rita	6,284
#65	Helen	6,123
#66	Robin	6,037
#67	Lynn	5,997
#68	Maria	5,992
#69	Phyllis	5,961
#70	Sherry	5,935
#71	Joanne	5,890
#72	Frances	5,786
#73	Alice	5,740
#74	Julie	5,668
#75	Darlene	5,591
#76	Ellen	5,537
#77	Elaine	5,496
#78	Suzanne	5,472
#79	Vickie	5,297
#80	Anne	5,256
#81	Sally	5,183
#82	Victoria	5,164
#83	Marsha	5,131
#84	Marcia	5,062
#85	Rhonda	5,029
#86	Marie	4,955
#87	Doris	4,900
#88	Valerie	4,591
#89	Anita	4,407
#90	Roberta	4,299
#91	Lois	4,219
#92	Maureen	4,112
#93	Sarah	4,086
#94	Evelyn	4,064
#95	Constance	4,030
#96	Leslie	3,904
#97	Jeanne	3,853
#98	Anna	3,837
#99	Cindy	3,825
#100	Charlotte	3,813

Top 100 boys’ names, 1953

Rank	Name	Boys
#1	Robert	86,243
#2	James	86,066
#3	Michael	84,198
#4	John	80,165
#5	David	76,119
#6	William	61,829
#7	Richard	58,389
#8	Thomas	47,008
#9	Charles	38,421
#10	Gary	36,967
#11	Steven	33,721
#12	Mark	29,341
#13	Joseph	29,269
#14	Donald	28,361
#15	Ronald	27,713
#16	Paul	25,509
#17	Kenneth	25,507
#18	Larry	25,208
#19	Dennis	23,658
#20	Daniel	23,498
#21	Stephen	21,807
#22	George	19,176
#23	Edward	18,984
#24	Gregory	16,160
#25	Jeffrey	15,949
#26	Timothy	15,187
#27	Douglas	14,138
#28	Bruce	14,048
#29	Jerry	13,901
#30	Terry	13,259
#31	Roger	13,172
#32	Anthony	11,693
#33	Frank	11,180
#34	Raymond	11,110
#35	Randy	10,666
#36	Kevin	10,011
#37	Lawrence	9,856
#38	Peter	9,729
#39	Patrick	9,468
#40	Wayne	8,905
#41	Danny	8,627
#42	Gerald	8,619
#43	Alan	8,454
#44	Carl	7,829
#45	Walter	7,509
#46	Scott	7,489
#47	Keith	7,375
#48	Dale	7,350
#49	Willie	7,056
#50	Arthur	7,001
#51	Ricky	6,887
#52	Johnny	6,717
#53	Brian	6,665
#54	Henry	6,662
#55	Roy	6,655
#56	Harold	6,580
#57	Jack	6,540
#58	Rodney	6,536
#59	Ralph	6,513
#60	Craig	6,459
#61	Philip	6,279
#62	Stanley	6,275
#63	Christopher	6,081
#64	Randall	5,973
#65	Billy	5,856
#66	Joe	5,797
#67	Glenn	5,726
#68	Andrew	5,626
#69	Albert	5,439
#70	Samuel	5,423
#71	Russell	5,374
#72	Jimmy	5,310
#73	Barry	5,182
#74	Bobby	5,179
#75	Eugene	5,147
#76	Phillip	5,103
#77	Howard	4,985
#78	Louis	4,985
#79	Ronnie	4,970
#80	Frederick	4,865
#81	Allen	4,854
#82	Martin	4,778
#83	Harry	4,580
#84	Steve	4,539
#85	Leonard	4,412
#86	Curtis	4,353
#87	Ernest	4,095
#88	Micheal	3,987
#89	Eric	3,929
#90	Francis	3,875
#91	Melvin	3,811
#92	Fred	3,789
#93	Lee	3,583
#94	Marvin	3,564
#95	Tommy	3,469
#96	Earl	3,437
#97	Eddie	3,417
#98	Norman	3,372
#99	Jay	3,235
#100	Vincent	3,174