US baby names · 1965

Most popular baby names of 1965

In 1965, Social Security card applications recorded 1,765,164 girls and 1,860,143 boys born in the US under names given to at least five babies of the same sex. That covers 7,535 distinct girls’ names and 4,425 boys’ names.

The most common names were Lisa (60,271 girls) and Michael (80,992 boys). The ten most common girls’ names together account for 16% of recorded girls, and the top ten boys’ names for 28% of boys. Compared with 1964, 262,246 fewer babies were recorded in total.

Against the top 100 of 1964, 4 girls’ names and 2 boys’ names in 1965 are newcomers (girls: Stacey, Tracey, Shelly; boys: Darren, Sean). Of these names, 3 of the 100 girls’ names and 19 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 1965 favourite was rising, at its peak or already fading.

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

← 1964 1966 →

Top 100 girls’ names, 1965

Rank	Name	Girls
#1	Lisa	60,271
#2	Mary	34,270
#3	Karen	32,869
#4	Kimberly	28,836
#5	Susan	26,321
#6	Patricia	23,552
#7	Donna	19,700
#8	Linda	19,345
#9	Cynthia	19,239
#10	Angela	18,754
#11	Tammy	18,013
#12	Pamela	17,467
#13	Deborah	17,081
#14	Julie	16,987
#15	Sandra	16,371
#16	Elizabeth	16,321
#17	Laura	16,218
#18	Michelle	16,215
#19	Lori	15,695
#20	Jennifer	15,207
#21	Christine	15,204
#22	Sharon	15,129
#23	Brenda	15,060
#24	Teresa	14,578
#25	Barbara	14,023
#26	Dawn	13,344
#27	Debra	13,098
#28	Denise	13,036
#29	Tina	12,831
#30	Kelly	12,763
#31	Cheryl	12,550
#32	Nancy	12,255
#33	Robin	11,995
#34	Kathleen	11,778
#35	Amy	11,530
#36	Tracy	11,174
#37	Rhonda	10,949
#38	Melissa	10,563
#39	Wendy	10,481
#40	Diane	10,365
#41	Rebecca	10,211
#42	Carol	10,097
#43	Kim	10,083
#44	Stephanie	9,765
#45	Theresa	9,685
#46	Maria	9,480
#47	Jacqueline	9,413
#48	Michele	8,661
#49	Paula	7,915
#50	Sheila	7,904
#51	Jill	7,820
#52	Margaret	7,799
#53	Cindy	7,777
#54	Kathy	7,762
#55	Janet	7,654
#56	Sherry	7,381
#57	Catherine	7,243
#58	Carolyn	6,965
#59	Ann	6,784
#60	Laurie	6,533
#61	Connie	6,155
#62	Debbie	6,088
#63	Andrea	6,080
#64	Diana	5,926
#65	Suzanne	5,912
#66	Beth	5,774
#67	Valerie	5,648
#68	Renee	5,496
#69	Terri	5,373
#70	Gina	5,267
#71	Annette	5,262
#72	Monica	5,113
#73	Janice	5,029
#74	Christina	4,979
#75	Leslie	4,875
#76	Carla	4,781
#77	Anne	4,726
#78	Dana	4,722
#79	Katherine	4,706
#80	Lynn	4,668
#81	Wanda	4,654
#82	Regina	4,548
#83	Darlene	4,356
#84	Stacey	4,269
#85	Tracey	4,260
#86	Judy	4,243
#87	Kathryn	4,157
#88	Cathy	4,151
#89	Bonnie	4,130
#90	Joyce	4,128
#91	Sherri	4,065
#92	Sarah	4,062
#93	Colleen	4,028
#94	Anita	4,017
#95	Jane	3,927
#96	Anna	3,920
#97	Penny	3,898
#98	Shelly	3,850
#99	Martha	3,801
#100	Melinda	3,796

Top 100 boys’ names, 1965

Rank	Name	Boys
#1	Michael	80,992
#2	John	71,493
#3	David	67,825
#4	James	67,666
#5	Robert	63,106
#6	William	40,111
#7	Mark	38,244
#8	Richard	36,817
#9	Thomas	31,595
#10	Jeffrey	29,574
#11	Joseph	28,630
#12	Timothy	28,334
#13	Kevin	28,177
#14	Steven	27,977
#15	Scott	25,437
#16	Paul	24,919
#17	Daniel	24,833
#18	Christopher	24,640
#19	Brian	24,552
#20	Charles	23,494
#21	Kenneth	22,677
#22	Anthony	20,326
#23	Gregory	18,205
#24	Ronald	17,619
#25	Eric	16,826
#26	Donald	16,033
#27	Gary	15,259
#28	Stephen	14,648
#29	Edward	14,404
#30	Todd	13,934
#31	Patrick	12,929
#32	Douglas	12,787
#33	Rodney	11,086
#34	George	10,680
#35	Keith	10,670
#36	Matthew	9,982
#37	Andrew	9,673
#38	Larry	9,403
#39	Peter	9,395
#40	Terry	9,088
#41	Jerry	9,015
#42	Randy	8,861
#43	Frank	8,319
#44	Dennis	8,215
#45	Raymond	8,051
#46	Craig	7,877
#47	Jeffery	7,734
#48	Tony	6,815
#49	Roger	6,429
#50	Bruce	6,325
#51	Mike	6,035
#52	Darren	5,938
#53	Troy	5,856
#54	Carl	5,797
#55	Steve	5,685
#56	Danny	5,675
#57	Ricky	5,659
#58	Russell	5,645
#59	Alan	5,612
#60	Chris	5,479
#61	Vincent	5,428
#62	Jeff	5,406
#63	Bryan	5,345
#64	Gerald	5,252
#65	Wayne	5,112
#66	Lawrence	4,961
#67	Martin	4,932
#68	Darryl	4,925
#69	Shawn	4,924
#70	Phillip	4,891
#71	Joe	4,833
#72	Bradley	4,787
#73	Randall	4,752
#74	Jonathan	4,723
#75	Curtis	4,687
#76	Johnny	4,687
#77	Billy	4,649
#78	Jon	4,601
#79	Sean	4,594
#80	Bobby	4,588
#81	Jimmy	4,529
#82	Walter	4,483
#83	Dale	4,397
#84	Samuel	4,395
#85	Glenn	4,355
#86	Barry	4,324
#87	Philip	4,278
#88	Dean	4,096
#89	Jose	3,966
#90	Jay	3,944
#91	Darrell	3,888
#92	Allen	3,834
#93	Willie	3,807
#94	Henry	3,801
#95	Roy	3,785
#96	Arthur	3,779
#97	Tim	3,718
#98	Victor	3,682
#99	Harold	3,539
#100	Albert	3,419