State roster

Top names in Massachusetts

The names most likely to appear on 1950 Massachusetts birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 91,638 Massachusetts births in 1950 across 789 distinct names.

Distinctively Massachusetts

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

#56Gerard#191 nationally
#73Claireoutside the national top 200
#63Dana#184 nationally
#91Bradfordoutside the national top 200
#92Denisoutside the national top 200
#93Eleanor#199 nationally
#84Roland#187 nationally
#69Leo#160 nationally
#74Jonathan#163 nationally
#82Pauline#163 nationally
#97Matthew#174 nationally
#82Neil#156 nationally

Girls

#1Linda2,109US #1
#2Mary1,711US #2
#3Susan1,660US #5
#4Patricia1,493US #3
#5Kathleen1,373US #10
#6Nancy1,156US #6
#7Donna1,097US #13
#8Barbara1,020US #4
#9Deborah947US #7
#10Carol922US #9
#11Diane840US #16
#12Karen782US #12
#13Judith700US #21
#14Christine684US #28
#15Sandra680US #8
#16Elizabeth641US #24
#17Janet621US #18
#18Margaret557US #15
#19Janice545US #22
#20Gail502US #42
#21Ann493US #45
#22Maureen490US #89
#23Sharon482US #11
#24Cynthia477US #23
#25Jane454US #39
#26Joanne453US #67
#27Joan449US #40
#28Jean427US #48
#29Cheryl419US #29
#30Elaine418US #60
#31Pamela401US #17
#32Paula393US #54
#33Catherine390US #34
#34Ellen377US #66
#35Anne364US #84
#36Joyce354US #27
#37Marie317US #72
#38Marilyn293US #37
#39Jeanne281US #95
#40Denise279US #82
#41Beverly269US #31
#42Eileen252US #91
#43Dorothy246US #35
#44Virginia242US #43
#45Martha240US #32
#46Ruth224US #49
#47Sheila216US #70
#48Suzanne215US #71
#49Marcia214US #77
#50Brenda209US #14
#51Dianne205US #90
#52Carolyn203US #20
#53Katherine201US #58
#54Theresa194US #65
#55Helen190US #50
#56Lorraine188US #105
#57Frances181US #51
#58Jacqueline180US #55
#59Louise173US #109
#60Roberta167US #96
#61Rosemary166US #101
#62Kathryn163US #46
#63Wendy149US #114
#64Shirley147US #19
#65Marjorie143US #121
#66Sally140US #78
#67Alice139US #57
#68Bonnie137US #33
#69Laura136US #63
#70Phyllis136US #53
#71Marsha133US #68
#72Irene132US #92
#73Claire129
#74Charlene128US #103
#75Constance126US #85
#76Leslie126US #134
#77Rita123US #56
#78Gloria117US #30
#79Andrea113US #141
#80Diana111US #47
#81Valerie111US #116
#82Pauline110US #163
#83Lynne109US #153
#84Darlene108US #79
#85Geraldine108US #102
#86Lois107US #83
#87Arlene105US #132
#88June105US #137
#89Lynn105US #76
#90Joann104US #98
#91Michele104US #128
#92Stephanie99US #122
#93Eleanor98US #199
#94Jo95US #64
#95Kathy90US #38
#96Rose89US #69
#97Sarah89US #88
#98Debra88US #59
#99Judy87US #25
#100Priscilla87US #169

Boys

#1Robert3,212US #2
#2John3,077US #3
#3Richard2,251US #7
#4James2,213US #1
#5William2,089US #6
#6David1,927US #5
#7Michael1,866US #4
#8Paul1,729US #18
#9Thomas1,502US #8
#10Stephen1,295US #19
#11Joseph1,258US #13
#12Charles942US #9
#13Edward928US #22
#14Peter849US #37
#15Donald781US #14
#16Kenneth755US #15
#17Ronald732US #12
#18George674US #20
#19Dennis666US #17
#20Steven645US #16
#21Daniel641US #21
#22Gary600US #10
#23Mark577US #23
#24Kevin547US #73
#25Bruce540US #26
#26Francis466US #86
#27Alan422US #41
#28Wayne412US #35
#29Raymond392US #31
#30Lawrence391US #33
#31Frank352US #29
#32Philip347US #53
#33Anthony343US #36
#34Arthur336US #46
#35Brian334US #79
#36Jeffrey312US #43
#37Douglas307US #28
#38Walter283US #40
#39Gerald274US #34
#40Roger255US #27
#41Frederick233US #75
#42Christopher229US #72
#43Ralph226US #52
#44Gregory222US #25
#45Russell205US #67
#46Timothy199US #32
#47Albert194US #56
#48Barry179US #74
#49Andrew165US #68
#50Glenn160US #59
#51Henry157US #47
#52Alfred152US #96
#53Carl151US #44
#54Patrick151US #38
#55Louis146US #66
#56Gerard142US #191
#57Leonard140US #77
#58Norman139US #90
#59Scott134US #82
#60Stanley123US #60
#61Howard119US #63
#62Harold117US #45
#63Dana115US #184
#64Ernest114US #81
#65Vincent114US #101
#66Martin113US #85
#67Warren113US #118
#68Eugene112US #58
#69Leo112US #160
#70Eric104US #98
#71Theodore94US #99
#72Allan90US #142
#73Craig90US #69
#74Jonathan90US #163
#75Larry88US #11
#76Roy88US #51
#77Harry87US #61
#78Bernard86US #110
#79Keith80US #78
#80Nicholas80US #124
#81Gordon79US #108
#82Neil79US #156
#83Allen75US #71
#84Roland72US #187
#85Fred68US #84
#86Clifford66US #100
#87Phillip63US #64
#88Joel62US #130
#89Jay61US #115
#90Victor60US #106
#91Bradford59
#92Denis59
#93Earl58US #92
#94Edwin58US #117
#95Herbert56US #112
#96Marc56US #167
#97Matthew56US #174
#98Samuel55US #62
#99Lee54US #91
#100Randall54US #70

On the move since 1949

Rising

↑36Denise#40
↑21Marsha#71
↑19Wendy#63
↑16Lynne#83
↑12Allan#72
↑11Scott#59
↑10Marcia#49
↑10Wayne#28

Falling

↓19Geraldine#85
↓19Lois#86
↓14Rita#77
↓13Priscilla#100
↓10Helen#55
↓10Bernard#78
↓9Larry#75
↓9Lee#99

Every state

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