Most Popular Baby Names of the 1950s

Top 100 girl and boy names, Social Security records, 1950 to 1959

Mary and James were the most popular baby names of the 1950s: 625,606 girls were named Mary and 843,768 boys James from 1950 to 1959. The tables rank the 100 names given to the most babies of each sex, out of 11,657 girl names and 7,325 boy names in the records for those years. Social Security lists a name in a year only when at least 5 babies of one sex got it.

Year by Year

The top 100 girl and boy names of each year of the 1950s, with what changed from the year before.

Top 100 Girl Names, 1950 to 1959

#	Name	Babies
1	Mary	625,606
2	Linda	564,364
3	Patricia	459,681
4	Susan	437,774
5	Deborah	430,537
6	Barbara	345,722
7	Debra	341,348
8	Karen	332,531
9	Nancy	286,812
10	Donna	270,338
11	Cynthia	263,432
12	Sandra	251,591
13	Pamela	237,398
14	Sharon	232,807
15	Kathleen	224,342
16	Carol	222,656
17	Diane	210,624
18	Brenda	209,241
19	Cheryl	171,387
20	Janet	167,520
21	Elizabeth	165,656
22	Kathy	157,930
23	Margaret	149,582
24	Janice	133,620
25	Carolyn	124,067
26	Denise	123,783
27	Judy	118,060
28	Rebecca	115,690
29	Joyce	114,984
30	Teresa	114,283
31	Christine	113,340
32	Catherine	108,839
33	Shirley	108,807
34	Judith	108,758
35	Betty	103,204
36	Beverly	97,790
37	Lisa	95,824
38	Laura	95,526
39	Theresa	89,608
40	Connie	88,799
41	Ann	87,047
42	Gloria	86,705
43	Julie	86,689
44	Gail	85,618
45	Joan	85,179
46	Paula	84,869
47	Peggy	84,293
48	Cindy	83,979
49	Martha	83,190
50	Bonnie	83,013
51	Jane	82,919
52	Cathy	82,719
53	Robin	82,423
54	Debbie	82,097
55	Diana	80,234
56	Marilyn	80,161
57	Kathryn	77,803
58	Dorothy	74,475
59	Wanda	72,448
60	Jean	72,263
61	Vicki	71,980
62	Sheila	70,174
63	Virginia	69,783
64	Sherry	68,322
65	Katherine	66,855
66	Rose	66,688
67	Lynn	66,049
68	Jo	63,939
69	Ruth	62,538
70	Maria	62,458
71	Darlene	61,886
72	Jacqueline	60,459
73	Rita	60,265
74	Rhonda	59,816
75	Phyllis	57,764
76	Helen	57,580
77	Vickie	56,857
78	Kim	56,080
79	Lori	56,070
80	Ellen	55,392
81	Elaine	54,232
82	Joanne	53,568
83	Anne	52,404
84	Valerie	52,230
85	Alice	52,074
86	Frances	51,200
87	Suzanne	50,330
88	Marie	49,263
89	Victoria	49,127
90	Kimberly	48,958
91	Anita	47,588
92	Laurie	46,964
93	Michelle	46,779
94	Sally	46,706
95	Terri	46,431
96	Marcia	43,733
97	Terry	43,194
98	Jennifer	43,075
99	Leslie	43,049
100	Doris	42,898

Top 100 Boy Names, 1950 to 1959

#	Name	Babies
1	James	843,768
2	Michael	837,471
3	Robert	830,395
4	John	797,922
5	David	769,963
6	William	591,228
7	Richard	535,461
8	Thomas	454,385
9	Mark	382,589
10	Charles	361,177
11	Steven	333,666
12	Gary	329,933
13	Joseph	300,012
14	Donald	273,574
15	Ronald	271,139
16	Kenneth	262,819
17	Paul	253,202
18	Larry	245,698
19	Daniel	243,727
20	Stephen	207,276
21	Dennis	204,267
22	Timothy	198,324
23	Edward	188,323
24	Jeffrey	184,668
25	George	181,031
26	Gregory	178,457
27	Kevin	159,010
28	Douglas	148,205
29	Terry	140,724
30	Anthony	136,647
31	Jerry	136,567
32	Bruce	136,457
33	Randy	120,537
34	Brian	112,336
35	Frank	112,321
36	Scott	111,819
37	Roger	110,158
38	Raymond	108,928
39	Peter	102,747
40	Patrick	96,851
41	Keith	91,235
42	Lawrence	91,110
43	Wayne	88,092
44	Danny	86,640
45	Alan	83,976
46	Gerald	82,626
47	Ricky	79,170
48	Carl	78,752
49	Christopher	78,333
50	Dale	75,567
51	Walter	72,197
52	Craig	69,481
53	Willie	66,460
54	Johnny	65,786
55	Arthur	65,716
56	Steve	64,212
57	Joe	62,620
58	Randall	62,450
59	Russell	62,406
60	Jack	62,387
61	Henry	62,230
62	Harold	62,183
63	Roy	61,847
64	Andrew	60,972
65	Philip	60,853
66	Ralph	60,440
67	Billy	59,277
68	Glenn	58,714
69	Stanley	57,164
70	Jimmy	54,892
71	Rodney	54,817
72	Barry	54,812
73	Samuel	53,767
74	Eric	53,295
75	Bobby	53,281
76	Albert	52,829
77	Phillip	52,457
78	Ronnie	51,302
79	Martin	50,994
80	Mike	48,345
81	Eugene	48,281
82	Louis	47,933
83	Howard	47,852
84	Allen	47,322
85	Curtis	46,324
86	Jeffery	45,879
87	Frederick	44,288
88	Leonard	43,551
89	Harry	43,335
90	Micheal	40,908
91	Tony	40,782
92	Ernest	39,680
93	Eddie	38,598
94	Fred	37,445
95	Darrell	37,257
96	Jay	36,969
97	Melvin	36,165
98	Lee	35,826
99	Matthew	35,796
100	Vincent	35,351

Open a name to see how many people with it are alive today. To compare decades, pick another one above, or read the guide Most Popular Names by Decade.