State roster

Top names in Illinois

The names most likely to appear on 1956 Illinois birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 217,226 Illinois births in 1956 across 1,749 distinct names.

Distinctively Illinois

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

#98Terrence#194 nationally
#88Kurt#138 nationally
#49Dawn#92 nationally
#77Jerome#117 nationally
#36Kimberly#74 nationally
#73Renee#106 nationally
#71Jill#101 nationally
#73Bradley#103 nationally
#91Beth#117 nationally
#94Theodore#119 nationally

Girls

#1Mary4,010US #1
#2Debra3,192US #2
#3Susan3,079US #5
#4Linda2,744US #3
#5Patricia2,507US #6
#6Deborah2,410US #4
#7Karen2,368US #7
#8Nancy1,972US #11
#9Barbara1,870US #9
#10Cynthia1,867US #8
#11Pamela1,642US #12
#12Donna1,585US #10
#13Diane1,560US #15
#14Kathleen1,547US #17
#15Sharon1,398US #13
#16Sandra1,353US #14
#17Carol1,349US #16
#18Cheryl1,198US #18
#19Janet1,167US #21
#20Denise908US #23
#21Catherine830US #28
#22Elizabeth830US #22
#23Brenda811US #19
#24Margaret811US #25
#25Laura803US #34
#26Janice793US #26
#27Kathy779US #20
#28Christine767US #42
#29Judith712US #45
#30Cathy634US #36
#31Theresa612US #32
#32Joyce598US #30
#33Teresa590US #24
#34Julie587US #48
#35Kim585US #38
#36Kimberly582US #74
#37Robin575US #29
#38Lynn571US #58
#39Gail549US #49
#40Rebecca523US #27
#41Joan510US #52
#42Lisa506US #31
#43Jean505US #65
#44Paula490US #47
#45Cindy483US #37
#46Carolyn466US #33
#47Diana466US #56
#48Ann460US #46
#49Dawn452US #92
#50Connie449US #43
#51Sheila446US #55
#52Rose444US #64
#53Jane443US #50
#54Judy435US #35
#55Kathryn429US #60
#56Peggy418US #63
#57Vicki418US #57
#58Beverly416US #40
#59Debbie410US #39
#60Lori405US #66
#61Marilyn398US #70
#62Bonnie394US #51
#63Katherine389US #67
#64Shirley388US #41
#65Darlene382US #71
#66Jo372US #69
#67Victoria372US #85
#68Rhonda365US #62
#69Rita360US #79
#70Sherry359US #54
#71Jill355US #101
#72Betty352US #44
#73Renee337US #106
#74Gloria335US #53
#75Laurie334US #76
#76Jacqueline332US #78
#77Valerie332US #80
#78Maureen329US #102
#79Dorothy327US #72
#80Ruth320US #77
#81Martha311US #59
#82Maria310US #73
#83Michelle309US #88
#84Vickie302US #68
#85Phyllis300US #82
#86Anita294US #83
#87Marcia294US #110
#88Tina294US #87
#89Ellen293US #84
#90Wendy289US #95
#91Beth284US #117
#92Sally272US #105
#93Angela260US #93
#94Anne259US #86
#95Colleen250US #113
#96Suzanne247US #94
#97Virginia246US #75
#98Joanne245US #99
#99Terry245US #91
#100Helen244US #90

Boys

#1Michael5,951US #1
#2James4,943US #2
#3John4,925US #5
#4Robert4,680US #3
#5David4,602US #4
#6William3,261US #6
#7Mark3,154US #8
#8Richard2,977US #7
#9Thomas2,967US #9
#10Steven2,653US #10
#11Joseph1,799US #12
#12Daniel1,790US #18
#13Charles1,686US #11
#14Gary1,676US #13
#15Kevin1,632US #22
#16Donald1,615US #14
#17Ronald1,578US #15
#18Kenneth1,490US #16
#19Paul1,475US #17
#20Jeffrey1,462US #20
#21Gregory1,436US #24
#22Timothy1,392US #19
#23Edward1,228US #25
#24Larry1,116US #21
#25Dennis1,069US #26
#26Scott1,027US #34
#27Stephen992US #23
#28Bruce895US #33
#29Brian891US #32
#30Anthony890US #30
#31George855US #27
#32Randy851US #28
#33Terry834US #31
#34Douglas799US #29
#35Patrick755US #40
#36Keith692US #36
#37Lawrence649US #42
#38Peter630US #37
#39Raymond627US #39
#40Frank619US #38
#41Roger560US #41
#42Jerry550US #35
#43Alan500US #44
#44Carl496US #48
#45Gerald463US #49
#46Dale435US #50
#47Russell431US #52
#48Craig429US #51
#49Wayne428US #45
#50Martin418US #73
#51Randall412US #54
#52Jeffery407US #57
#53Christopher406US #47
#54Ricky374US #43
#55Andrew372US #56
#56Philip357US #64
#57Danny352US #46
#58Walter350US #53
#59Stanley341US #70
#60Glenn334US #61
#61Harold328US #72
#62Arthur306US #60
#63Phillip305US #76
#64Rodney303US #65
#65Jack301US #66
#66Steve295US #59
#67Ralph282US #67
#68Louis275US #82
#69Henry270US #71
#70Roy268US #62
#71Leonard264US #89
#72Micheal264US #83
#73Bradley252US #103
#74Eric252US #79
#75Eugene250US #86
#76Dean245US #99
#77Jerome244US #117
#78Jay241US #92
#79Willie240US #58
#80Barry239US #69
#81Howard234US #84
#82Matthew233US #90
#83Darrell232US #88
#84Curtis228US #80
#85Albert226US #81
#86Allen226US #87
#87Samuel224US #74
#88Kurt219US #138
#89Frederick217US #91
#90Victor211US #96
#91Rick210US #100
#92Ronnie201US #75
#93Vincent199US #98
#94Theodore194US #119
#95Tony194US #85
#96Norman189US #107
#97Fred187US #102
#98Terrence181US #194
#99Melvin170US #101
#100Lee169US #104

On the move since 1955

Rising

↑36Cindy#45
↑34Kim#35
↑27Kimberly#36
↑25Lori#60
↑21Dawn#49
↑21Jay#78
↑19Lisa#42
↑17Renee#73

Falling

↓25Marilyn#61
↓17Beverly#58
↓17Gloria#74
↓16Betty#72
↓16Wendy#90
↓15Marcia#87
↓14Vicki#57
↓12Joanne#98

Every state

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