State roster

Top names in Illinois

The names most likely to appear on 1950 Illinois birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 179,699 Illinois births in 1950 across 1,471 distinct names.

Distinctively Illinois

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

#83Terrence#176 nationally
#91Jill#142 nationally
#100Tom#145 nationally
#43Scott#82 nationally
#51Martin#85 nationally
#100Leslie#134 nationally
#81Wendy#114 nationally
#87Dean#120 nationally
#46Lynn#76 nationally
#83Marlene#112 nationally
#88Darrell#116 nationally
#76Jerome#103 nationally

Girls

#1Linda4,385US #1
#2Mary3,812US #2
#3Patricia2,739US #3
#4Susan2,619US #5
#5Barbara2,395US #4
#6Kathleen2,027US #10
#7Nancy1,946US #6
#8Carol1,727US #9
#9Sandra1,612US #8
#10Deborah1,598US #7
#11Karen1,593US #12
#12Sharon1,543US #11
#13Pamela1,268US #17
#14Diane1,226US #16
#15Donna1,194US #13
#16Janet1,167US #18
#17Judith1,108US #21
#18Margaret997US #15
#19Cynthia945US #23
#20Janice931US #22
#21Christine905US #28
#22Cheryl769US #29
#23Joyce699US #27
#24Brenda669US #14
#25Shirley653US #19
#26Carolyn600US #20
#27Elizabeth597US #24
#28Beverly574US #31
#29Marilyn573US #37
#30Catherine559US #34
#31Bonnie536US #33
#32Judy525US #25
#33Gail499US #42
#34Joan488US #40
#35Kathy486US #38
#36Gloria474US #30
#37Betty473US #26
#38Kathryn454US #46
#39Diana453US #47
#40Peggy452US #41
#41Jane450US #39
#42Jean447US #48
#43Rita429US #56
#44Connie428US #44
#45Jacqueline409US #55
#46Lynn392US #76
#47Marsha388US #68
#48Ruth388US #49
#49Rebecca387US #36
#50Debra377US #59
#51Phyllis369US #53
#52Marcia366US #77
#53Ann361US #45
#54Dorothy358US #35
#55Paula355US #54
#56Martha350US #32
#57Vicki334US #61
#58Katherine333US #58
#59Virginia332US #43
#60Laura329US #63
#61Denise327US #82
#62Ellen312US #66
#63Joanne309US #67
#64Darlene308US #79
#65Theresa308US #65
#66Cathy307US #75
#67Rose297US #69
#68Sally290US #78
#69Elaine288US #60
#70Frances288US #51
#71Constance287US #85
#72Alice282US #57
#73Jo280US #64
#74Maureen276US #89
#75Sheila276US #70
#76Sherry276US #62
#77Suzanne265US #71
#78Roberta259US #96
#79Helen252US #50
#80Victoria239US #94
#81Wendy235US #114
#82Marie234US #72
#83Marlene229US #112
#84Charlene228US #103
#85Lois223US #83
#86Rosemary222US #101
#87Eileen218US #91
#88Jeanne216US #95
#89Sue215US #100
#90Anita202US #99
#91Jill197US #142
#92Valerie192US #116
#93Doris187US #74
#94Geraldine187US #102
#95Joann186US #98
#96Julie183US #111
#97Anne182US #84
#98Teresa180US #81
#99Lynda174US #107
#100Leslie169US #134

Boys

#1James4,986US #1
#2Robert4,851US #2
#3John4,730US #3
#4Michael4,611US #4
#5William3,376US #6
#6David3,358US #5
#7Richard3,048US #7
#8Thomas2,930US #8
#9Charles1,993US #9
#10Gary1,834US #10
#11Ronald1,754US #12
#12Donald1,555US #14
#13Steven1,539US #16
#14Dennis1,444US #17
#15Joseph1,426US #13
#16Larry1,369US #11
#17Kenneth1,368US #15
#18Paul1,215US #18
#19Daniel1,213US #21
#20Stephen1,138US #19
#21Mark1,136US #23
#22Gregory1,102US #25
#23Edward1,082US #22
#24George1,016US #20
#25Lawrence769US #33
#26Bruce755US #26
#27Terry739US #30
#28Frank677US #29
#29Roger669US #27
#30Raymond667US #31
#31Gerald600US #34
#32Patrick597US #38
#33Timothy596US #32
#34Jerry585US #24
#35Wayne554US #35
#36Douglas520US #28
#37Jeffrey518US #43
#38Alan499US #41
#39Dale491US #49
#40Anthony467US #36
#41Peter447US #37
#42Carl418US #44
#43Scott391US #82
#44Philip389US #53
#45Walter382US #40
#46Arthur363US #46
#47Jack362US #48
#48Kevin361US #73
#49Randall353US #70
#50Danny347US #39
#51Martin347US #85
#52Ralph336US #52
#53Craig331US #69
#54Keith320US #78
#55Phillip320US #64
#56Stanley317US #60
#57Harold312US #45
#58Glenn311US #59
#59Henry282US #47
#60Leonard269US #77
#61Howard262US #63
#62Russell262US #67
#63Roy261US #51
#64Allen258US #71
#65Brian256US #79
#66Andrew250US #68
#67Louis249US #66
#68Eugene246US #58
#69Albert244US #56
#70Christopher241US #72
#71Barry240US #74
#72Steve237US #83
#73Fred228US #84
#74Randy222US #80
#75Harry207US #61
#76Jerome204US #103
#77Frederick200US #75
#78Lee193US #91
#79Melvin184US #87
#80Rodney182US #88
#81Theodore178US #99
#82Samuel177US #62
#83Terrence174US #176
#84Micheal171US #104
#85Norman170US #90
#86Bernard164US #110
#87Dean164US #120
#88Darrell163US #116
#89Eric163US #98
#90Francis161US #86
#91Earl157US #92
#92Victor157US #106
#93Willie156US #42
#94Curtis147US #97
#95Marvin144US #93
#96Clarence141US #95
#97Jay138US #115
#98Clifford137US #100
#99Glen137US #125
#100Tom131US #145

On the move since 1949

Rising

↑46Debra#50
↑30Kevin#48
↑17Scott#43
↑15Christopher#70
↑14Marsha#47
↑13Wendy#81
↑12Laura#60
↑11Darrell#88

Falling

↓24Tom#100
↓19Helen#79
↓16Fred#73
↓12Sheila#75
↓12Sue#89
↓11Rosemary#86
↓10Alice#72
↓10Suzanne#77

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1949 rankings.