State roster

Top names in Arkansas

The names most likely to appear on 1956 Arkansas birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 39,221 Arkansas births in 1956 across 832 distinct names.

Distinctively Arkansas

Names that rank far higher here than they do nationally — the ones that say Arkansas more than they say America.

#69Bobbieoutside the national top 200
#61Shelia#183 nationally
#86Wilmaoutside the national top 200
#86Johnnieoutside the national top 200
#82Freddie#196 nationally
#66Ruby#179 nationally
#53Jackie#164 nationally
#90Rosieoutside the national top 200
#85Patsy#192 nationally
#94Troyoutside the national top 200
#70Annie#171 nationally
#85Donnie#173 nationally

Girls

#1Mary641US #1
#2Linda590US #3
#3Deborah522US #4
#4Debra490US #2
#5Patricia453US #6
#6Brenda448US #19
#7Sharon357US #13
#8Barbara354US #9
#9Donna307US #10
#10Carolyn305US #33
#11Sandra304US #14
#12Karen303US #7
#13Pamela287US #12
#14Cynthia254US #8
#15Betty224US #44
#16Shirley223US #41
#17Susan222US #5
#18Joyce220US #30
#19Kathy210US #20
#20Rebecca207US #27
#21Teresa194US #24
#22Janet178US #21
#23Judy178US #35
#24Nancy170US #11
#25Connie165US #43
#26Janice165US #26
#27Elizabeth157US #22
#28Beverly153US #40
#29Dorothy150US #72
#30Carol147US #16
#31Sherry146US #54
#32Cheryl142US #18
#33Marilyn141US #70
#34Vickie137US #68
#35Martha136US #59
#36Wanda135US #61
#37Diane132US #15
#38Debbie130US #39
#39Peggy128US #63
#40Paula126US #47
#41Phyllis123US #82
#42Vicki116US #57
#43Margaret112US #25
#44Cathy110US #36
#45Gloria107US #53
#46Doris106US #109
#47Rita104US #79
#48Rose104US #64
#49Rhonda100US #62
#50Helen98US #90
#51Jo92US #69
#52Sheila90US #55
#53Laura88US #34
#54Charlotte84US #133
#55Anita82US #83
#56Glenda82US #134
#57Lisa79US #31
#58Virginia73US #75
#59Robin70US #29
#60Catherine68US #28
#61Shelia68US #183
#62Theresa66US #32
#63Gail65US #49
#64Marsha64US #129
#65Bonnie62US #51
#66Ruby62US #179
#67Alice60US #98
#68Angela60US #93
#69Bobbie60
#70Annie59US #171
#71Katherine59US #67
#72Terri56US #81
#73Terry56US #91
#74Gwendolyn53US #128
#75Jacqueline53US #78
#76Sarah53US #115
#77Diana52US #56
#78Evelyn52US #120
#79Regina52US #125
#80Melissa51US #150
#81Ruth51US #77
#82Vivian50US #148
#83Kathryn49US #60
#84Loretta49US #126
#85Patsy49US #192
#86Wilma49
#87Ann48US #46
#88Darlene48US #71
#89Frances48US #107
#90Rosie48
#91Lois46US #135
#92Tina46US #87
#93Vicky46US #146
#94Melinda45US #142
#95Denise44US #23
#96Belinda42US #167
#97Cindy42US #37
#98Marcia42US #110
#99Sue42US #118
#100Carla41US #130

Boys

#1James1,034US #2
#2David679US #4
#3Michael643US #1
#4Robert629US #3
#5John583US #5
#6William537US #6
#7Charles500US #11
#8Larry484US #21
#9Gary335US #13
#10Jerry333US #35
#11Richard316US #7
#12Kenneth302US #16
#13Billy292US #68
#14Donald289US #14
#15Terry287US #31
#16Randy260US #28
#17Thomas257US #9
#18Mark255US #8
#19Steven251US #10
#20Danny245US #46
#21Ronald243US #15
#22Johnny239US #55
#23Jimmy231US #78
#24Bobby227US #77
#25Ricky218US #43
#26Dennis194US #26
#27Stephen178US #23
#28Joe177US #63
#29Paul177US #17
#30Rickey163US #112
#31Ronnie160US #75
#32Carl159US #48
#33Willie152US #58
#34Edward151US #25
#35Joseph140US #12
#36Eddie138US #93
#37Roy138US #62
#38Tommy136US #115
#39George135US #27
#40Gregory124US #24
#41Roger124US #41
#42Timothy116US #19
#43Daniel114US #18
#44Henry112US #71
#45Steve108US #59
#46Bruce98US #33
#47Douglas98US #29
#48Stanley95US #70
#49Harold94US #72
#50Phillip94US #76
#51Anthony92US #30
#52Raymond88US #39
#53Jackie83US #164
#54Curtis81US #80
#55Randall77US #54
#56Samuel75US #74
#57Tony75US #85
#58Keith74US #36
#59Ray73US #113
#60Don72US #123
#61Micheal70US #83
#62Frank69US #38
#63Lawrence67US #42
#64Calvin62US #109
#65Jack61US #66
#66Lee61US #104
#67Ralph61US #67
#68Walter61US #53
#69Alvin60US #134
#70Dale60US #50
#71Louis60US #82
#72Albert59US #81
#73Gerald59US #49
#74Rodney59US #65
#75Clarence58US #120
#76Jeffrey58US #20
#77Marvin58US #105
#78Melvin58US #101
#79Darrell57US #88
#80Russell57US #52
#81Andrew56US #56
#82Freddie56US #196
#83Dwight54US #139
#84Kevin54US #22
#85Donnie52US #173
#86Johnnie52
#87Barry51US #69
#88Wayne51US #45
#89Arthur50US #60
#90Earl50US #110
#91Floyd50US #172
#92Lonnie50US #155
#93Alan49US #44
#94Troy49
#95Eugene48US #86
#96Garry48US #153
#97Allen45US #87
#98Glen45US #125
#99Howard45US #84
#100Fred44US #102

On the move since 1955

Rising

↑32Gail#63
↑32Angela#68
↑31Jack#65
↑27Terri#72
↑19Laura#53
↑19Rodney#74
↑18Louis#71
↑17Steve#45

Falling

↓29Fred#100
↓27Patsy#85
↓22Donnie#85
↓21Walter#68
↓21Allen#97
↓19Evelyn#78
↓18Lois#91
↓17Eugene#95

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1955 rankings.