Most Popular Baby Names of 1952
Top 100 girl and boy names, Social Security records
Linda and James were the most popular baby names of 1952 in the US: 67,082 girls were named Linda and 87,065 boys were named James, about 1 in 28 girls and 1 in 22 boys born that year. It was Linda's 6th year in a row at #1 for girls (since 1947), and it was James's 13th year in a row at #1 for boys (since 1940).
Social Security records list 1,854,335 girls and 1,943,633 boys born in 1952, with 6,387 different girl names and 4,255 boy names. A name is listed for a year only when at least 5 babies of one sex got it.
What Changed From 1951
- Debra joined the girls' top 10; the boys' top 10 had the same names as in 1951.
- Biggest climbers in the girls' top 100: Rhonda (#111 to #95), Denise (#48 to #33) and Cathy (#71 to #56).
- Biggest climbers in the boys' top 100: Ricky (#102 to #81), Randy (#56 to #41) and Scott (#68 to #54).
- 1 girl name and 2 boy names left the top 100, among them Anna (#94 to #101) and Clarence (#98 to #102).
- 302 names appeared in the records for the first time.
Top 100 Baby Names of 1952
Ranked by the babies given each name; the last column is the name's rank in 1951, among names of the same sex. Tied names share a rank.
Top 100 Girl Names of 1952
| # | Name | Babies | In 1951 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Linda | 67,082 | #1 |
| 2 | Mary | 65,629 | #2 |
| 3 | Patricia | 53,101 | #3 |
| 4 | Deborah | 49,811 | #4 |
| 5 | Susan | 41,348 | #6 |
| 6 | Barbara | 39,864 | #5 |
| 7 | Nancy | 31,739 | #7 |
| 8 | Karen | 28,956 | #8 |
| 9 | Debra | 26,832 | #18 |
| 10 | Sandra | 26,097 | #9 |
| 11 | Kathleen | 25,767 | #10 |
| 12 | Carol | 24,000 | #11 |
| 13 | Donna | 23,718 | #12 |
| 14 | Sharon | 23,386 | #13 |
| 15 | Brenda | 21,439 | #14 |
| 16 | Diane | 21,063 | #15 |
| 17 | Pamela | 20,879 | #16 |
| 18 | Cynthia | 19,878 | #20 |
| 19 | Janet | 17,921 | #19 |
| 20 | Christine | 17,548 | #24 |
| 21 | Margaret | 17,102 | #17 |
| 22 | Elizabeth | 16,022 | #23 |
| 23 | Janice | 14,978 | #21 |
| 24 | Carolyn | 14,272 | #22 |
| 25 | Judith | 14,064 | #25 |
| 26 | Judy | 13,632 | #26 |
| 27 | Joyce | 13,126 | #28 |
| 28 | Shirley | 12,529 | #27 |
| 29 | Kathy | 12,369 | #35 |
| 30 | Rebecca | 12,227 | #32 |
| 31 | Cheryl | 12,201 | #30 |
| 32 | Betty | 12,129 | #29 |
| 33 | Denise | 11,652 | #48 |
| 34 | Catherine | 11,053 | #34 |
| 35 | Beverly | 10,547 | #33 |
| 36 | Gloria | 10,458 | #31 |
| 37 | Joan | 10,278 | #39 |
| 38 | Marilyn | 9,803 | #41 |
| 39 | Gail | 9,760 | #36 |
| 40 | Martha | 9,696 | #38 |
| 41 | Bonnie | 9,383 | #37 |
| 42 | Jane | 9,322 | #43 |
| 43 | Peggy | 8,990 | #40 |
| 44 | Connie | 8,756 | #44 |
| 45 | Ann | 8,653 | #46 |
| 46 | Dorothy | 8,609 | #42 |
| 47 | Paula | 8,567 | #51 |
| 48 | Kathryn | 8,504 | #45 |
| 49 | Virginia | 8,161 | #47 |
| 50 | Jean | 7,511 | #49 |
| 51 | Diana | 7,392 | #50 |
| 52 | Teresa | 7,294 | #63 |
| 53 | Laura | 7,188 | #60 |
| 54 | Wanda | 7,164 | #52 |
| 55 | Jo | 7,092 | #67 |
| 56 | Cathy | 7,011 | #71 |
| 57 | Ruth | 6,953 | #53 |
| 58 | Jacqueline | 6,938 | #56 |
| 59 | Katherine | 6,891 | #55 |
| 60 | Theresa | 6,809 | #64 |
| 61 | Vicki | 6,775 | #58 |
| 62 | Rose | 6,553 | #65 |
| 63 | Helen | 6,464 | #54 |
| 64 | Sheila | 6,217 | #69 |
| 65 | Phyllis | 6,151 | #57 |
| 66 | Rita | 6,148 | #61 |
| 67 | Frances | 6,079 | #59 |
| 68 | Sherry | 5,956 | #70 |
| 69 | Alice | 5,908 | #62 |
| 70 | Ellen | 5,842 | #68 |
| 71 | Lynn | 5,818 | #72 |
| 72 | Maria | 5,695 | #75 |
| 73 | Elaine | 5,650 | #66 |
| 74 | Victoria | 5,603 | #81 |
| 75 | Marsha | 5,583 | #76 |
| 76 | Vickie | 5,482 | #87 |
| 77 | Darlene | 5,427 | #79 |
| 78 | Joanne | 5,351 | #73 |
| 79 | Anne | 5,257 | #82 |
| 80 | Marcia | 5,210 | #74 |
| 81 | Sally | 5,037 | #77 |
| 82 | Marie | 4,977 | #78 |
| 83 | Doris | 4,950 | #80 |
| 84 | Suzanne | 4,909 | #83 |
| 85 | Julie | 4,497 | #99 |
| 86 | Lois | 4,361 | #85 |
| 87 | Valerie | 4,263 | #100 |
| 88 | Roberta | 4,228 | #92 |
| 89 | Charlotte | 4,204 | #84 |
| 90 | Evelyn | 4,155 | #88 |
| 91 | Anita | 4,134 | #96 |
| 92 | Constance | 4,117 | #86 |
| 93 | Sarah | 4,046 | #91 |
| 94 | Maureen | 4,039 | #93 |
| 95 | Rhonda | 3,963 | #111 |
| 96 | Dianne | 3,895 | #90 |
| 97 | Glenda | 3,880 | #89 |
| 98 | Jeanne | 3,827 | #98 |
| 99 | Sylvia | 3,789 | #97 |
| 100 | Eileen | 3,742 | #95 |
Top 100 Boy Names of 1952
| # | Name | Babies | In 1951 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James | 87,065 | #1 |
| 2 | Robert | 86,588 | #2 |
| 3 | John | 83,140 | #3 |
| 4 | Michael | 79,037 | #4 |
| 5 | David | 71,752 | #5 |
| 6 | William | 63,039 | #6 |
| 7 | Richard | 58,350 | #7 |
| 8 | Thomas | 48,647 | #8 |
| 9 | Charles | 38,866 | #9 |
| 10 | Gary | 38,754 | #10 |
| 11 | Steven | 32,037 | #13 |
| 12 | Joseph | 28,510 | #14 |
| 13 | Donald | 28,269 | #15 |
| 14 | Larry | 28,239 | #11 |
| 15 | Ronald | 27,800 | #12 |
| 16 | Kenneth | 25,909 | #16 |
| 17 | Mark | 25,678 | #20 |
| 18 | Dennis | 24,552 | #17 |
| 19 | Paul | 24,292 | #18 |
| 20 | Daniel | 23,418 | #21 |
| 21 | Stephen | 23,055 | #19 |
| 22 | George | 19,821 | #22 |
| 23 | Edward | 19,501 | #23 |
| 24 | Gregory | 15,191 | #25 |
| 25 | Bruce | 14,480 | #26 |
| 26 | Jerry | 14,438 | #24 |
| 27 | Timothy | 14,167 | #28 |
| 28 | Douglas | 13,680 | #27 |
| 29 | Terry | 12,438 | #30 |
| 30 | Roger | 12,132 | #29 |
| 31 | Jeffrey | 12,006 | #35 |
| 32 | Frank | 11,268 | #31 |
| 33 | Raymond | 11,235 | #32 |
| 34 | Anthony | 11,188 | #34 |
| 35 | Lawrence | 10,302 | #33 |
| 36 | Peter | 9,586 | #38 |
| 37 | Patrick | 9,175 | #39 |
| 38 | Wayne | 9,087 | #37 |
| 39 | Gerald | 9,031 | #36 |
| 40 | Danny | 8,821 | #41 |
| 41 | Randy | 8,646 | #56 |
| 42 | Alan | 8,310 | #40 |
| 43 | Kevin | 7,916 | #53 |
| 44 | Walter | 7,897 | #42 |
| 45 | Carl | 7,823 | #43 |
| 46 | Dale | 7,417 | #49 |
| 47 | Arthur | 7,236 | #44 |
| 48 | Willie | 7,197 | #45 |
| 49 | Keith | 7,174 | #59 |
| 50 | Henry | 6,974 | #47 |
| 51 | Harold | 6,957 | #46 |
| 52 | Jack | 6,937 | #48 |
| 53 | Johnny | 6,771 | #50 |
| 54 | Scott | 6,538 | #68 |
| 55 | Roy | 6,524 | #52 |
| 56 | Ralph | 6,469 | #51 |
| 57 | Christopher | 6,302 | #61 |
| 58 | Stanley | 6,226 | #54 |
| 59 | Craig | 6,187 | #63 |
| 60 | Philip | 6,154 | #55 |
| 61 | Glenn | 5,945 | #58 |
| 62 | Joe | 5,892 | #57 |
| 62 | Randall | 5,892 | #66 |
| 64 | Brian | 5,741 | #75 |
| 65 | Billy | 5,708 | #64 |
| 66 | Albert | 5,660 | #60 |
| 67 | Samuel | 5,647 | #67 |
| 68 | Andrew | 5,572 | #69 |
| 69 | Barry | 5,504 | #71 |
| 70 | Russell | 5,349 | #73 |
| 71 | Eugene | 5,314 | #65 |
| 72 | Jimmy | 5,311 | #62 |
| 73 | Howard | 5,244 | #74 |
| 74 | Phillip | 5,001 | #79 |
| 75 | Harry | 4,993 | #70 |
| 76 | Frederick | 4,979 | #78 |
| 77 | Bobby | 4,960 | #77 |
| 78 | Allen | 4,956 | #72 |
| 79 | Louis | 4,924 | #76 |
| 80 | Martin | 4,735 | #81 |
| 81 | Ricky | 4,655 | #102 |
| 82 | Ronnie | 4,636 | #82 |
| 83 | Leonard | 4,619 | #80 |
| 84 | Rodney | 4,403 | #84 |
| 85 | Steve | 4,313 | #86 |
| 86 | Curtis | 4,175 | #91 |
| 87 | Ernest | 4,123 | #83 |
| 88 | Eric | 3,989 | #93 |
| 89 | Francis | 3,979 | #85 |
| 90 | Fred | 3,960 | #87 |
| 91 | Melvin | 3,920 | #88 |
| 92 | Lee | 3,655 | #92 |
| 93 | Eddie | 3,643 | #89 |
| 94 | Micheal | 3,613 | #97 |
| 95 | Marvin | 3,575 | #96 |
| 96 | Norman | 3,572 | #90 |
| 97 | Tommy | 3,512 | #94 |
| 98 | Earl | 3,456 | #95 |
| 99 | Clifford | 3,317 | #101 |
| 100 | Theodore | 3,270 | #99 |
Open a name to see how many people with it are alive today and how its popularity changed. See the year before, 1951, or the year after, 1953, the top 100 of the whole 1950s, or let the random name generator pick names from the 1950s. For more on how the top names changed, read Most Popular Names by Decade.