Most Popular Baby Names of 1955
Top 100 girl and boy names, Social Security records
Mary and Michael were the most popular baby names of 1955 in the US: 63,174 girls were named Mary and 88,355 boys were named Michael, about 1 in 31 girls and 1 in 23 boys born that year. It was Mary's 3rd year in a row at #1 for girls (since 1953), and it was Michael's 2nd year in a row at #1 for boys (since 1954).
Social Security records list 1,955,277 girls and 2,059,889 boys born in 1955, with 6,730 different girl names and 4,399 boy names. A name is listed for a year only when at least 5 babies of one sex got it.
What Changed From 1954
- Donna joined the girls' top 10; Mark and Steven joined the boys' top 10.
- Biggest climbers in the girls' top 100: Kim (#134 to #75), Lori (#121 to #89) and Debbie (#92 to #63).
- Biggest climbers in the boys' top 100: Jeffery (#90 to #73), Christopher (#64 to #49) and Russell (#69 to #57).
- 2 girl names and 3 boy names left the top 100, among them Doris (#93 to #101) and Norman (#99 to #102).
- 373 names appeared in the records for the first time.
Top 100 Baby Names of 1955
Ranked by the babies given each name; the last column is the name's rank in 1954, among names of the same sex. Tied names share a rank.
Top 100 Girl Names of 1955
| # | Name | Babies | In 1954 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary | 63,174 | #1 |
| 2 | Deborah | 52,318 | #3 |
| 3 | Linda | 51,300 | #2 |
| 4 | Debra | 50,563 | #6 |
| 5 | Susan | 47,418 | #5 |
| 6 | Patricia | 46,226 | #4 |
| 7 | Barbara | 33,617 | #7 |
| 8 | Karen | 33,217 | #8 |
| 9 | Nancy | 30,023 | #9 |
| 10 | Donna | 27,940 | #11 |
| 11 | Cynthia | 27,178 | #10 |
| 12 | Pamela | 26,690 | #12 |
| 13 | Sandra | 25,112 | #13 |
| 14 | Diane | 23,290 | #17 |
| 15 | Carol | 22,046 | #15 |
| 16 | Sharon | 22,044 | #16 |
| 17 | Kathleen | 22,014 | #14 |
| 18 | Brenda | 19,114 | #18 |
| 19 | Cheryl | 19,111 | #22 |
| 20 | Janet | 17,920 | #19 |
| 21 | Elizabeth | 16,696 | #20 |
| 22 | Kathy | 15,324 | #23 |
| 23 | Denise | 14,560 | #24 |
| 24 | Margaret | 14,440 | #21 |
| 25 | Janice | 13,178 | #25 |
| 26 | Teresa | 13,126 | #34 |
| 27 | Rebecca | 12,398 | #26 |
| 28 | Catherine | 11,636 | #32 |
| 29 | Joyce | 11,287 | #28 |
| 30 | Carolyn | 11,179 | #27 |
| 31 | Judith | 10,436 | #30 |
| 32 | Judy | 10,376 | #29 |
| 33 | Robin | 10,217 | #41 |
| 34 | Beverly | 10,001 | #31 |
| 35 | Connie | 9,975 | #39 |
| 36 | Betty | 9,924 | #36 |
| 37 | Shirley | 9,755 | #33 |
| 38 | Theresa | 9,620 | #47 |
| 39 | Paula | 9,585 | #38 |
| 40 | Christine | 9,042 | #43 |
| 41 | Laura | 9,008 | #45 |
| 42 | Gail | 8,972 | #37 |
| 43 | Ann | 8,916 | #44 |
| 44 | Cathy | 8,665 | #59 |
| 45 | Bonnie | 8,637 | #52 |
| 46 | Joan | 8,557 | #40 |
| 47 | Gloria | 8,551 | #42 |
| 48 | Lisa | 8,539 | #73 |
| 49 | Marilyn | 8,409 | #35 |
| 50 | Jane | 8,343 | #49 |
| 51 | Peggy | 7,983 | #48 |
| 52 | Vicki | 7,975 | #50 |
| 53 | Martha | 7,930 | #46 |
| 54 | Rose | 7,852 | #54 |
| 55 | Diana | 7,847 | #57 |
| 56 | Sherry | 7,769 | #62 |
| 57 | Sheila | 7,661 | #60 |
| 58 | Jo | 7,656 | #53 |
| 59 | Kathryn | 7,640 | #51 |
| 60 | Jean | 7,480 | #56 |
| 61 | Wanda | 7,415 | #58 |
| 62 | Lynn | 7,355 | #63 |
| 63 | Debbie | 7,254 | #92 |
| 64 | Dorothy | 7,242 | #55 |
| 65 | Katherine | 7,239 | #64 |
| 66 | Virginia | 6,855 | #61 |
| 67 | Julie | 6,788 | #70 |
| 68 | Vickie | 6,637 | #69 |
| 69 | Maria | 6,210 | #65 |
| 70 | Ruth | 6,187 | #66 |
| 71 | Rhonda | 6,171 | #71 |
| 72 | Rita | 6,094 | #67 |
| 73 | Jacqueline | 6,041 | #68 |
| 74 | Phyllis | 5,689 | #75 |
| 75 | Kim | 5,687 | #134 |
| 76 | Darlene | 5,641 | #76 |
| 77 | Elaine | 5,635 | #74 |
| 78 | Helen | 5,592 | #72 |
| 79 | Cindy | 5,588 | #91 |
| 80 | Valerie | 5,512 | #87 |
| 81 | Ellen | 5,471 | #77 |
| 82 | Victoria | 5,359 | #85 |
| 83 | Terry | 5,353 | #88 |
| 84 | Anne | 5,218 | #80 |
| 85 | Terri | 5,153 | #100 |
| 86 | Suzanne | 5,137 | #82 |
| 87 | Alice | 5,079 | #81 |
| 88 | Joanne | 4,987 | #78 |
| 89 | Lori | 4,976 | #121 |
| 90 | Wendy | 4,955 | #95 |
| 91 | Laurie | 4,954 | #98 |
| 92 | Marie | 4,925 | #79 |
| 93 | Michele | 4,768 | #89 |
| 94 | Anita | 4,718 | #96 |
| 95 | Sally | 4,688 | #84 |
| 96 | Frances | 4,641 | #83 |
| 97 | Michelle | 4,526 | #94 |
| 98 | Marcia | 4,412 | #90 |
| 99 | Leslie | 4,405 | #99 |
| 100 | Maureen | 4,339 | #97 |
Top 100 Boy Names of 1955
| # | Name | Babies | In 1954 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael | 88,355 | #1 |
| 2 | David | 86,306 | #5 |
| 3 | James | 84,186 | #3 |
| 4 | Robert | 83,758 | #2 |
| 5 | John | 80,128 | #4 |
| 6 | William | 59,990 | #6 |
| 7 | Richard | 53,566 | #7 |
| 8 | Thomas | 45,855 | #8 |
| 9 | Mark | 42,255 | #12 |
| 10 | Steven | 37,847 | #11 |
| 11 | Charles | 35,365 | #10 |
| 12 | Gary | 34,433 | #9 |
| 13 | Joseph | 31,589 | #13 |
| 14 | Donald | 27,726 | #14 |
| 15 | Kenneth | 26,743 | #17 |
| 16 | Paul | 26,701 | #16 |
| 17 | Daniel | 26,460 | #18 |
| 18 | Ronald | 26,172 | #15 |
| 19 | Larry | 22,819 | #19 |
| 20 | Jeffrey | 22,533 | #23 |
| 21 | Stephen | 22,155 | #20 |
| 22 | Timothy | 20,738 | #26 |
| 23 | Dennis | 20,436 | #21 |
| 24 | Gregory | 19,815 | #25 |
| 25 | Edward | 19,280 | #22 |
| 26 | George | 18,167 | #24 |
| 27 | Kevin | 17,158 | #28 |
| 28 | Terry | 15,586 | #27 |
| 29 | Douglas | 15,311 | #29 |
| 30 | Randy | 14,958 | #33 |
| 31 | Anthony | 14,170 | #32 |
| 32 | Bruce | 14,082 | #30 |
| 33 | Jerry | 12,975 | #31 |
| 34 | Frank | 11,109 | #36 |
| 35 | Peter | 11,003 | #37 |
| 36 | Raymond | 10,994 | #35 |
| 37 | Roger | 10,979 | #34 |
| 38 | Scott | 10,782 | #40 |
| 39 | Keith | 10,418 | #45 |
| 40 | Brian | 10,109 | #48 |
| 41 | Patrick | 9,869 | #38 |
| 42 | Lawrence | 9,128 | #39 |
| 43 | Alan | 9,037 | #43 |
| 44 | Wayne | 8,728 | #41 |
| 45 | Danny | 8,721 | #42 |
| 46 | Ricky | 8,329 | #46 |
| 47 | Carl | 8,294 | #47 |
| 48 | Gerald | 8,072 | #44 |
| 49 | Christopher | 7,922 | #64 |
| 50 | Craig | 7,448 | #51 |
| 51 | Walter | 7,299 | #49 |
| 52 | Dale | 7,182 | #50 |
| 53 | Randall | 6,688 | #55 |
| 54 | Willie | 6,629 | #53 |
| 55 | Johnny | 6,620 | #54 |
| 56 | Arthur | 6,570 | #52 |
| 57 | Russell | 6,539 | #69 |
| 58 | Roy | 6,331 | #56 |
| 59 | Glenn | 6,258 | #63 |
| 60 | Jack | 6,200 | #57 |
| 61 | Henry | 6,187 | #59 |
| 62 | Philip | 6,162 | #62 |
| 63 | Harold | 6,096 | #60 |
| 64 | Stanley | 6,050 | #58 |
| 65 | Rodney | 6,047 | #66 |
| 66 | Andrew | 6,012 | #70 |
| 67 | Ralph | 5,965 | #61 |
| 68 | Joe | 5,856 | #67 |
| 69 | Billy | 5,769 | #65 |
| 70 | Barry | 5,599 | #68 |
| 71 | Samuel | 5,535 | #71 |
| 72 | Steve | 5,509 | #76 |
| 73 | Jeffery | 5,466 | #90 |
| 74 | Phillip | 5,411 | #75 |
| 75 | Bobby | 5,223 | #72 |
| 76 | Albert | 5,179 | #73 |
| 77 | Martin | 5,068 | #79 |
| 78 | Jimmy | 5,036 | #74 |
| 79 | Curtis | 4,981 | #84 |
| 80 | Ronnie | 4,969 | #78 |
| 81 | Eugene | 4,791 | #77 |
| 82 | Louis | 4,779 | #81 |
| 83 | Howard | 4,746 | #80 |
| 84 | Allen | 4,744 | #82 |
| 85 | Eric | 4,660 | #89 |
| 86 | Frederick | 4,552 | #83 |
| 87 | Micheal | 4,530 | #88 |
| 88 | Leonard | 4,260 | #85 |
| 89 | Harry | 4,139 | #86 |
| 90 | Ernest | 3,975 | #87 |
| 91 | Darrell | 3,902 | #95 |
| 92 | Eddie | 3,781 | #91 |
| 93 | Tony | 3,752 | #105 |
| 94 | Marvin | 3,659 | #97 |
| 95 | Melvin | 3,646 | #92 |
| 96 | Lee | 3,607 | #96 |
| 97 | Fred | 3,502 | #93 |
| 98 | Kim | 3,490 | #109 |
| 99 | Vincent | 3,482 | #104 |
| 100 | Francis | 3,439 | #94 |
Open a name to see how many people with it are alive today and how its popularity changed. See the year before, 1954, or the year after, 1956, 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.