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Top Baby Names of the 1950s

Across the 1950s, US parents gave these names most often. The lists below rank the top 25 girls’ and boys’ names by the number of babies who received each name over the decade, from US Social Security Administration data (about 19.2 million girls and 20.2 million boys recorded).

The most popular names of the 1950s were Mary for girls and James for boys.

Top 25 girls’ names of the 1950s

  1. #1 Mary 625,606
  2. #2 Linda 564,364
  3. #3 Patricia 459,681
  4. #4 Susan 437,774
  5. #5 Deborah 430,537
  6. #6 Barbara 345,722
  7. #7 Debra 341,348
  8. #8 Karen 332,531
  9. #9 Nancy 286,812
  10. #10 Donna 270,338
  11. #11 Cynthia 263,432
  12. #12 Sandra 251,591
  13. #13 Pamela 237,398
  14. #14 Sharon 232,807
  15. #15 Kathleen 224,342
  16. #16 Carol 222,656
  17. #17 Diane 210,624
  18. #18 Brenda 209,241
  19. #19 Cheryl 171,387
  20. #20 Janet 167,520
  21. #21 Elizabeth 165,656
  22. #22 Kathy 157,930
  23. #23 Margaret 149,582
  24. #24 Janice 133,620
  25. #25 Carolyn 124,067

Top 25 boys’ names of the 1950s

  1. #1 James 843,768
  2. #2 Michael 837,471
  3. #3 Robert 830,395
  4. #4 John 797,922
  5. #5 David 769,963
  6. #6 William 591,228
  7. #7 Richard 535,461
  8. #8 Thomas 454,385
  9. #9 Mark 382,589
  10. #10 Charles 361,177
  11. #11 Steven 333,666
  12. #12 Gary 329,933
  13. #13 Joseph 300,012
  14. #14 Donald 273,574
  15. #15 Ronald 271,139
  16. #16 Kenneth 262,819
  17. #17 Paul 253,202
  18. #18 Larry 245,698
  19. #19 Daniel 243,727
  20. #20 Stephen 207,276
  21. #21 Dennis 204,267
  22. #22 Timothy 198,324
  23. #23 Edward 188,323
  24. #24 Jeffrey 184,668
  25. #25 George 181,031

Counts are US births recorded by the Social Security Administration. Numbers show babies given each name across the whole decade.

Frequently asked questions

What was the most popular girls’ name in the 1950s?

Mary was the most popular girls’ name in the 1950s, according to US Social Security Administration data.

What was the most popular boys’ name in the 1950s?

James was the most popular boys’ name in the 1950s.

Where does this ranking come from?

These rankings are compiled from US Social Security Administration records of names given to babies born in the United States, counted separately for girls and boys.

See this year’s most popular names →