Birth year roster

Top names in 1950

Name: Top baby names in 1950
Creator: Social Security Administration

The 100 most common names on 1950 birth certificates, for girls and boys, ranked by SSA records.

Linda and James led the 1950 baby-name charts, the top names among baby boom births. Linda was the #1 girls’ name for 6 years in all (1947–1952); James was the #1 boys’ name for 13 years in all (1940–1952). Of the 200 names below, 159 are now endangered or extinct; the tag on each shows where it stands today.

Explore the 1950s decade

Girls

#1Linda Endangered80,433
#2Mary Endangered65,481
#3Patricia Endangered47,944
#4Barbara Endangered41,556
#5Susan Endangered38,017
#6Nancy Endangered29,617
#7Deborah Endangered29,063
#8Sandra Endangered28,896
#9Carol Endangered26,163
#10Kathleen Endangered25,706
#11Sharon Endangered24,612
#12Karen Endangered24,132
#13Donna Endangered21,629
#14Brenda Endangered20,799
#15Margaret Endangered18,110
#16Diane Endangered17,636
#17Pamela Endangered16,202
#18Janet Endangered16,193
#19Shirley Endangered15,891
#20Carolyn Endangered15,588
#21Judith Endangered15,352
#22Janice Endangered15,012
#23Cynthia Endangered14,447
#24Elizabeth Stable14,334
#25Judy Endangered14,207
#26Betty Endangered13,615
#27Joyce Endangered13,415
#28Christine Endangered12,673
#29Cheryl Endangered11,823
#30Gloria Endangered11,037
#31Beverly Endangered10,503
#32Martha Endangered9,839
#33Bonnie Endangered9,746
#34Catherine Endangered9,655
#35Dorothy Endangered9,551
#36Rebecca Endangered9,425
#37Marilyn Endangered9,285
#38Kathy Endangered9,090
#39Jane Stable8,964
#40Joan Endangered8,860
#41Peggy Endangered8,532
#42Gail Endangered8,350
#43Virginia Endangered8,312
#44Connie Endangered8,145
#45Ann Endangered7,921
#46Kathryn Endangered7,863
#47Diana Stable7,447
#48Jean Endangered7,432
#49Ruth Endangered7,128
#50Helen Endangered7,061
#51Frances Endangered6,975
#52Wanda Endangered6,929
#53Phyllis Endangered6,695
#54Paula Endangered6,631
#55Jacqueline Endangered6,455
#56Rita Endangered6,424
#57Alice Stable6,363
#58Katherine Declining6,205
#59Debra Endangered6,176
#60Elaine Rising6,037
#61Vicki Declining5,823
#62Sherry Endangered5,808
#63Laura Endangered5,725
#64Jo Endangered5,676
#65Theresa Endangered5,628
#66Ellen Endangered5,567
#67Joanne Endangered5,491
#68Marsha Endangered5,400
#69Rose Stable5,376
#70Sheila Endangered5,322
#71Suzanne Endangered5,266
#72Marie Endangered5,222
#73Maria Stable5,076
#74Doris Endangered5,053
#75Cathy Endangered5,031
#76Lynn Endangered5,020
#77Marcia Endangered4,955
#78Sally Endangered4,870
#79Darlene Endangered4,830
#80Charlotte Stable4,735
#81Teresa Endangered4,724
#82Denise Endangered4,514
#83Lois Endangered4,504
#84Anne Endangered4,459
#85Constance Endangered4,441
#86Evelyn Stable4,275
#87Glenda Endangered4,215
#88Sarah Endangered4,143
#89Maureen Endangered4,070
#90Dianne Endangered3,921
#91Eileen Stable3,883
#92Irene Endangered3,825
#93Anna Declining3,815
#94Victoria Declining3,781
#95Jeanne Endangered3,736
#96Roberta Endangered3,630
#97Sylvia Rising3,612
#98Joann Endangered3,600
#99Anita Endangered3,572
#100Sue Endangered3,503

Boys

#1James Stable86,228
#2Robert Endangered83,553
#3John Past peak79,412
#4Michael Past peak65,136
#5David Past peak60,729
#6William Declining60,680
#7Richard Endangered51,003
#8Thomas Stable45,596
#9Charles Stable39,095
#10Gary Endangered33,737
#11Larry Endangered31,480
#12Ronald Endangered29,908
#13Joseph Declining27,022
#14Donald Endangered26,999
#15Kenneth Endangered23,813
#16Steven Endangered23,250
#17Dennis Endangered22,862
#18Paul Endangered21,742
#19Stephen Endangered20,511
#20George Stable20,183
#21Daniel Declining19,189
#22Edward Endangered18,714
#23Mark Endangered16,604
#24Jerry Endangered15,261
#25Gregory Endangered13,311
#26Bruce Endangered12,674
#27Roger Endangered12,552
#28Douglas Endangered12,264
#29Frank Endangered11,606
#30Terry Endangered11,433
#31Raymond Endangered11,180
#32Timothy Endangered10,499
#33Lawrence Endangered10,173
#34Gerald Endangered9,726
#35Wayne Endangered9,259
#36Anthony Declining8,612
#37Peter Stable8,362
#38Patrick Declining8,179
#39Danny Endangered8,143
#40Walter Stable7,798
#41Alan Stable7,737
#42Willie Endangered7,717
#43Jeffrey Endangered7,644
#44Carl Endangered7,288
#45Harold Endangered7,214
#46Arthur Rising7,161
#47Henry Stable6,963
#48Jack Stable6,840
#49Dale Endangered6,785
#50Johnny Endangered6,581
#51Roy Endangered6,454
#52Ralph Endangered6,406
#53Philip Endangered6,070
#54Joe Endangered6,033
#55Jimmy Endangered5,761
#56Albert Endangered5,754
#57Billy Endangered5,674
#58Eugene Endangered5,481
#59Glenn Endangered5,465
#60Stanley Endangered5,453
#61Harry Endangered5,375
#62Samuel Stable5,227
#63Howard Endangered5,164
#64Phillip Endangered5,055
#65Bobby Endangered5,019
#66Louis Stable4,947
#67Russell Stable4,945
#68Andrew Declining4,932
#69Craig Endangered4,888
#70Randall Endangered4,843
#71Allen Endangered4,840
#72Christopher Endangered4,835
#73Kevin Endangered4,752
#74Barry Endangered4,694
#75Frederick Stable4,659
#76Ronnie Endangered4,616
#77Leonard Endangered4,581
#78Keith Endangered4,566
#79Brian Endangered4,441
#80Randy Endangered4,354
#81Ernest Endangered4,308
#82Scott Endangered4,268
#83Steve Endangered4,207
#84Fred Endangered4,195
#85Martin Stable4,180
#86Francis Stable4,082
#87Melvin Endangered3,886
#88Rodney Endangered3,856
#89Eddie Endangered3,760
#90Norman Endangered3,641
#91Lee Endangered3,611
#92Earl Endangered3,589
#93Marvin Endangered3,493
#94Tommy Endangered3,434
#95Clarence Endangered3,340
#96Alfred Endangered3,235
#97Curtis Endangered3,209
#98Eric Endangered3,095
#99Theodore Rising2,960
#100Clifford Endangered2,940