US baby names · 1955

Most popular baby names of 1955

In 1955, Social Security card applications recorded 1,955,277 girls and 2,059,889 boys born in the US under names given to at least five babies of the same sex. That covers 6,732 distinct girls’ names and 4,400 boys’ names.

The most common names were Mary (63,174 girls) and Michael (88,355 boys). The ten most common girls’ names together account for 22% of recorded girls, and the top ten boys’ names for 32% of boys. Compared with 1954, 34,500 more babies were recorded in total.

Against the top 100 of 1954, 2 girls’ names and 3 boys’ names in 1955 are newcomers (girls: Kim, Lori; boys: Tony, Kim, Vincent). Of these names, 4 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 1955 favourite was rising, at its peak or already fading.

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

← 1954 1956 →

Top 100 girls’ names, 1955

Rank	Name	Girls
#1	Mary	63,174
#2	Deborah	52,318
#3	Linda	51,300
#4	Debra	50,563
#5	Susan	47,418
#6	Patricia	46,226
#7	Barbara	33,617
#8	Karen	33,217
#9	Nancy	30,023
#10	Donna	27,940
#11	Cynthia	27,178
#12	Pamela	26,690
#13	Sandra	25,112
#14	Diane	23,290
#15	Carol	22,046
#16	Sharon	22,044
#17	Kathleen	22,014
#18	Brenda	19,114
#19	Cheryl	19,111
#20	Janet	17,920
#21	Elizabeth	16,696
#22	Kathy	15,324
#23	Denise	14,560
#24	Margaret	14,440
#25	Janice	13,178
#26	Teresa	13,126
#27	Rebecca	12,398
#28	Catherine	11,636
#29	Joyce	11,287
#30	Carolyn	11,179
#31	Judith	10,436
#32	Judy	10,376
#33	Robin	10,217
#34	Beverly	10,001
#35	Connie	9,975
#36	Betty	9,924
#37	Shirley	9,755
#38	Theresa	9,620
#39	Paula	9,585
#40	Christine	9,042
#41	Laura	9,008
#42	Gail	8,972
#43	Ann	8,916
#44	Cathy	8,665
#45	Bonnie	8,637
#46	Joan	8,557
#47	Gloria	8,551
#48	Lisa	8,539
#49	Marilyn	8,409
#50	Jane	8,343
#51	Peggy	7,983
#52	Vicki	7,975
#53	Martha	7,930
#54	Rose	7,852
#55	Diana	7,847
#56	Sherry	7,769
#57	Sheila	7,661
#58	Jo	7,656
#59	Kathryn	7,640
#60	Jean	7,480
#61	Wanda	7,415
#62	Lynn	7,355
#63	Debbie	7,254
#64	Dorothy	7,242
#65	Katherine	7,239
#66	Virginia	6,855
#67	Julie	6,788
#68	Vickie	6,637
#69	Maria	6,210
#70	Ruth	6,187
#71	Rhonda	6,171
#72	Rita	6,094
#73	Jacqueline	6,041
#74	Phyllis	5,689
#75	Kim	5,687
#76	Darlene	5,641
#77	Elaine	5,635
#78	Helen	5,592
#79	Cindy	5,588
#80	Valerie	5,512
#81	Ellen	5,471
#82	Victoria	5,359
#83	Terry	5,353
#84	Anne	5,218
#85	Terri	5,153
#86	Suzanne	5,137
#87	Alice	5,079
#88	Joanne	4,987
#89	Lori	4,976
#90	Wendy	4,955
#91	Laurie	4,954
#92	Marie	4,925
#93	Michele	4,768
#94	Anita	4,718
#95	Sally	4,688
#96	Frances	4,641
#97	Michelle	4,526
#98	Marcia	4,412
#99	Leslie	4,405
#100	Maureen	4,339

Top 100 boys’ names, 1955

Rank	Name	Boys
#1	Michael	88,355
#2	David	86,306
#3	James	84,186
#4	Robert	83,758
#5	John	80,128
#6	William	59,990
#7	Richard	53,566
#8	Thomas	45,855
#9	Mark	42,255
#10	Steven	37,847
#11	Charles	35,365
#12	Gary	34,433
#13	Joseph	31,589
#14	Donald	27,726
#15	Kenneth	26,743
#16	Paul	26,701
#17	Daniel	26,460
#18	Ronald	26,172
#19	Larry	22,819
#20	Jeffrey	22,533
#21	Stephen	22,155
#22	Timothy	20,738
#23	Dennis	20,436
#24	Gregory	19,815
#25	Edward	19,280
#26	George	18,167
#27	Kevin	17,158
#28	Terry	15,586
#29	Douglas	15,311
#30	Randy	14,958
#31	Anthony	14,170
#32	Bruce	14,082
#33	Jerry	12,975
#34	Frank	11,109
#35	Peter	11,003
#36	Raymond	10,994
#37	Roger	10,979
#38	Scott	10,782
#39	Keith	10,418
#40	Brian	10,109
#41	Patrick	9,869
#42	Lawrence	9,128
#43	Alan	9,037
#44	Wayne	8,728
#45	Danny	8,721
#46	Ricky	8,329
#47	Carl	8,294
#48	Gerald	8,072
#49	Christopher	7,922
#50	Craig	7,448
#51	Walter	7,299
#52	Dale	7,182
#53	Randall	6,688
#54	Willie	6,629
#55	Johnny	6,620
#56	Arthur	6,570
#57	Russell	6,539
#58	Roy	6,331
#59	Glenn	6,258
#60	Jack	6,200
#61	Henry	6,187
#62	Philip	6,162
#63	Harold	6,096
#64	Stanley	6,050
#65	Rodney	6,047
#66	Andrew	6,012
#67	Ralph	5,965
#68	Joe	5,856
#69	Billy	5,769
#70	Barry	5,599
#71	Samuel	5,535
#72	Steve	5,509
#73	Jeffery	5,466
#74	Phillip	5,411
#75	Bobby	5,223
#76	Albert	5,179
#77	Martin	5,068
#78	Jimmy	5,036
#79	Curtis	4,981
#80	Ronnie	4,969
#81	Eugene	4,791
#82	Louis	4,779
#83	Howard	4,746
#84	Allen	4,744
#85	Eric	4,660
#86	Frederick	4,552
#87	Micheal	4,530
#88	Leonard	4,260
#89	Harry	4,139
#90	Ernest	3,975
#91	Darrell	3,902
#92	Eddie	3,781
#93	Tony	3,752
#94	Marvin	3,659
#95	Melvin	3,646
#96	Lee	3,607
#97	Fred	3,502
#98	Kim	3,490
#99	Vincent	3,482
#100	Francis	3,439