US baby names · 1966

Most popular baby names of 1966

In 1966, Social Security card applications recorded 1,692,177 girls and 1,783,461 boys born in the US under names given to at least five babies of the same sex. That covers 7,624 distinct girls’ names and 4,540 boys’ names.

The most common names were Lisa (56,918 girls) and Michael (79,985 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 1965, 149,669 fewer babies were recorded in total.

Against the top 100 of 1965, 4 girls’ names and 2 boys’ names in 1966 are newcomers (girls: Heidi, Stacy, Tonya; boys: Jason, Tracy). 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 1966 favourite was rising, at its peak or already fading.

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

← 1965 1967 →

Top 100 girls’ names, 1966

Rank	Name	Girls
#1	Lisa	56,918
#2	Kimberly	32,232
#3	Mary	28,890
#4	Michelle	27,159
#5	Karen	25,450
#6	Susan	23,776
#7	Patricia	20,112
#8	Tammy	18,621
#9	Angela	18,532
#10	Jennifer	18,215
#11	Cynthia	17,418
#12	Donna	17,037
#13	Julie	16,331
#14	Deborah	16,250
#15	Pamela	16,249
#16	Elizabeth	15,887
#17	Sandra	15,851
#18	Linda	15,566
#19	Laura	15,553
#20	Christine	15,546
#21	Lori	14,671
#22	Melissa	14,254
#23	Tina	13,892
#24	Dawn	13,603
#25	Brenda	13,294
#26	Kelly	13,242
#27	Barbara	13,123
#28	Sharon	13,063
#29	Teresa	13,024
#30	Amy	12,998
#31	Tracy	12,504
#32	Denise	11,797
#33	Nancy	11,729
#34	Cheryl	11,713
#35	Debra	11,261
#36	Michele	10,689
#37	Kathleen	10,491
#38	Stephanie	10,160
#39	Rhonda	9,805
#40	Rebecca	9,777
#41	Wendy	9,516
#42	Robin	9,440
#43	Kim	9,194
#44	Maria	9,132
#45	Diane	8,750
#46	Theresa	8,699
#47	Jacqueline	8,360
#48	Carol	8,259
#49	Jill	7,871
#50	Paula	7,856
#51	Sheila	7,208
#52	Andrea	7,144
#53	Sherry	6,983
#54	Catherine	6,962
#55	Margaret	6,960
#56	Cindy	6,794
#57	Janet	6,434
#58	Gina	6,356
#59	Kathy	6,319
#60	Carolyn	6,121
#61	Ann	5,993
#62	Suzanne	5,684
#63	Laurie	5,667
#64	Diana	5,504
#65	Beth	5,444
#66	Renee	5,354
#67	Christina	5,341
#68	Dana	5,278
#69	Tracey	5,127
#70	Connie	5,102
#71	Leslie	4,999
#72	Terri	4,921
#73	Debbie	4,846
#74	Valerie	4,816
#75	Monica	4,722
#76	Stacey	4,586
#77	Carla	4,508
#78	Katherine	4,492
#79	Annette	4,428
#80	Janice	4,345
#81	Lynn	4,306
#82	Regina	4,295
#83	Anne	4,151
#84	Wanda	4,093
#85	Sarah	4,034
#86	Kathryn	4,008
#87	Heidi	3,966
#88	Anita	3,872
#89	Shelly	3,856
#90	Bonnie	3,842
#91	Stacy	3,779
#92	Sherri	3,747
#93	Colleen	3,746
#94	Darlene	3,728
#95	Anna	3,682
#96	Tonya	3,630
#97	Judy	3,510
#98	Tamara	3,482
#99	Cathy	3,421
#100	Joyce	3,399

Top 100 boys’ names, 1966

Rank	Name	Boys
#1	Michael	79,985
#2	David	66,408
#3	James	65,163
#4	John	65,016
#5	Robert	59,317
#6	William	38,237
#7	Mark	34,801
#8	Richard	34,457
#9	Jeffrey	30,200
#10	Thomas	29,003
#11	Timothy	28,923
#12	Christopher	27,866
#13	Steven	27,698
#14	Brian	27,253
#15	Joseph	26,981
#16	Scott	26,036
#17	Kevin	25,592
#18	Paul	23,578
#19	Daniel	23,269
#20	Charles	22,252
#21	Kenneth	20,834
#22	Anthony	20,624
#23	Gregory	17,009
#24	Ronald	16,952
#25	Eric	16,475
#26	Stephen	14,742
#27	Donald	14,713
#28	Gary	14,155
#29	Todd	13,557
#30	Edward	13,279
#31	Patrick	12,405
#32	Keith	11,614
#33	Douglas	11,401
#34	Matthew	10,803
#35	Rodney	10,268
#36	Andrew	10,235
#37	George	9,941
#38	Larry	8,709
#39	Peter	8,584
#40	Terry	8,455
#41	Jerry	8,429
#42	Jeffery	7,904
#43	Frank	7,787
#44	Dennis	7,786
#45	Randy	7,758
#46	Craig	7,729
#47	Raymond	7,376
#48	Troy	6,905
#49	Tony	6,571
#50	Sean	6,490
#51	Roger	6,296
#52	Bryan	5,890
#53	Bruce	5,843
#54	Shawn	5,725
#55	Chris	5,257
#56	Carl	5,227
#57	Alan	4,943
#58	Vincent	4,941
#59	Wayne	4,891
#60	Gerald	4,863
#61	Russell	4,857
#62	Danny	4,721
#63	Darren	4,718
#64	Ricky	4,680
#65	Jonathan	4,662
#66	Lawrence	4,644
#67	Steve	4,617
#68	Bradley	4,555
#69	Mike	4,526
#70	Randall	4,448
#71	Phillip	4,402
#72	Jeff	4,387
#73	Johnny	4,363
#74	Joe	4,334
#75	Curtis	4,242
#76	Jon	4,239
#77	Jimmy	4,238
#78	Martin	4,210
#79	Jose	4,194
#80	Billy	4,182
#81	Samuel	4,155
#82	Bobby	4,068
#83	Walter	4,057
#84	Dean	4,041
#85	Dale	3,985
#86	Philip	3,954
#87	Barry	3,916
#88	Darryl	3,817
#89	Jason	3,770
#90	Glenn	3,668
#91	Jay	3,598
#92	Henry	3,575
#93	Willie	3,546
#94	Roy	3,522
#95	Darrell	3,497
#96	Arthur	3,482
#97	Allen	3,420
#98	Tracy	3,380
#99	Harold	3,323
#100	Albert	3,297