State roster

Top names in Massachusetts

The names most likely to appear on 1955 Massachusetts birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 105,917 Massachusetts births in 1955 across 850 distinct names.

Distinctively Massachusetts

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

#74Doreenoutside the national top 200
#53Dana#176 nationally
#61Gerard#179 nationally
#88Bradfordoutside the national top 200
#93Claireoutside the national top 200
#51Lynne#155 nationally
#77Leo#175 nationally
#95Marianne#191 nationally
#79Neil#159 nationally
#27Maureen#100 nationally
#48Eileen#120 nationally
#70Andrea#139 nationally

Girls

#1Susan2,099US #5
#2Mary1,881US #1
#3Deborah1,741US #2
#4Patricia1,681US #6
#5Linda1,586US #3
#6Donna1,434US #10
#7Nancy1,391US #9
#8Debra1,324US #4
#9Kathleen1,249US #17
#10Karen1,182US #8
#11Diane1,091US #14
#12Barbara816US #7
#13Carol799US #15
#14Elizabeth730US #21
#15Cheryl726US #19
#16Cynthia686US #11
#17Judith622US #31
#18Sandra601US #13
#19Pamela594US #12
#20Janet585US #20
#21Ann566US #43
#22Denise557US #23
#23Paula532US #39
#24Margaret517US #24
#25Gail491US #42
#26Sharon485US #16
#27Maureen477US #100
#28Joanne471US #88
#29Catherine461US #28
#30Joan456US #46
#31Anne424US #84
#32Jean423US #60
#33Christine417US #40
#34Jane417US #50
#35Janice412US #25
#36Elaine369US #77
#37Ellen366US #81
#38Robin342US #33
#39Lisa327US #48
#40Joyce323US #29
#41Theresa317US #38
#42Marie282US #92
#43Brenda274US #18
#44Sheila240US #57
#45Lynn238US #62
#46Jo230US #58
#47Bonnie225US #45
#48Eileen225US #120
#49Jeanne219US #115
#50Laurie219US #91
#51Lynne219US #155
#52Katherine214US #65
#53Dorothy204US #64
#54Suzanne202US #86
#55Wendy201US #90
#56Laura192US #41
#57Rose192US #54
#58Darlene189US #76
#59Beverly188US #34
#60Dianne188US #121
#61Kathryn180US #59
#62Virginia180US #66
#63Leslie178US #99
#64Martha177US #53
#65Lorraine175US #126
#66Michelle171US #97
#67Michele170US #93
#68Marcia169US #98
#69Ruth164US #70
#70Andrea163US #139
#71Valerie163US #80
#72Cathy154US #44
#73Helen153US #78
#74Doreen152
#75Roberta149US #113
#76Kathy147US #22
#77Maria146US #69
#78Carolyn144US #30
#79Marilyn144US #49
#80Charlene140US #130
#81Julie135US #67
#82Jacqueline131US #73
#83Louise128US #148
#84Kim127US #75
#85Beth126US #133
#86Teresa120US #26
#87Colleen118US #110
#88Joann116US #136
#89Diana115US #55
#90Lori114US #89
#91Amy113US #134
#92Rita112US #72
#93Claire111
#94Dawn111US #103
#95Marianne109US #191
#96Sarah109US #108
#97Frances108US #96
#98Stephanie107US #114
#99Phyllis104US #74
#100June100US #164

Boys

#1John3,358US #5
#2Robert3,290US #4
#3David2,885US #2
#4Michael2,859US #1
#5James2,402US #3
#6Richard2,283US #7
#7William1,975US #6
#8Paul1,950US #16
#9Thomas1,599US #8
#10Mark1,540US #9
#11Stephen1,461US #21
#12Joseph1,409US #13
#13Steven1,211US #10
#14Peter1,009US #35
#15Edward905US #25
#16Kevin904US #27
#17Daniel892US #17
#18Gary850US #12
#19Charles757US #11
#20Donald734US #14
#21Kenneth730US #15
#22Brian711US #40
#23Jeffrey605US #20
#24Ronald585US #18
#25George571US #26
#26Bruce532US #32
#27Dennis503US #23
#28Timothy477US #22
#29Wayne412US #44
#30Alan407US #43
#31Anthony390US #31
#32Christopher375US #49
#33Raymond353US #36
#34Scott346US #38
#35Francis345US #100
#36Lawrence343US #42
#37Douglas339US #29
#38Frank313US #34
#39Philip305US #62
#40Arthur291US #56
#41Gregory289US #24
#42Keith237US #39
#43Frederick234US #86
#44Gerald231US #48
#45Walter230US #51
#46Roger227US #37
#47Patrick205US #41
#48Barry202US #70
#49Andrew198US #66
#50Glenn197US #59
#51Albert178US #76
#52Russell178US #57
#53Dana168US #176
#54Jonathan163US #116
#55Carl158US #47
#56Louis148US #82
#57Craig144US #50
#58Henry144US #61
#59Ralph143US #67
#60Marc137US #126
#61Gerard136US #179
#62Matthew133US #105
#63Norman132US #102
#64Eric130US #85
#65Vincent129US #99
#66Leonard125US #88
#67Martin120US #77
#68Alfred119US #119
#69Jay118US #103
#70Howard110US #83
#71Eugene109US #81
#72Theodore108US #120
#73Harold106US #63
#74Stanley101US #64
#75Ernest99US #90
#76Roy98US #58
#77Leo95US #175
#78Larry94US #19
#79Neil91US #159
#80Warren90US #130
#81Jon85US #115
#82Nicholas85US #141
#83Harry80US #89
#84Phillip80US #74
#85Allen79US #84
#86Gordon79US #128
#87Bernard72US #127
#88Bradford70
#89Clifford68US #118
#90Dean67US #111
#91Lee67US #96
#92Edwin66US #124
#93Karl64US #149
#94Samuel64US #71
#95Glen63US #131
#96Joel61US #121
#97Allan60US #157
#98Randall59US #53
#99Fred58US #97
#100Randy58US #30

On the move since 1954

Rising

↑28Lynn#45
↑26Cathy#72
↑20Bonnie#47
↑18Darlene#58
↑17Lynne#51
↑15Laura#56
↑15Marc#60
↑14Keith#42

Falling

↓33Marilyn#79
↓30Marianne#95
↓22Frances#97
↓19Allan#97
↓13Martha#64
↓13Randall#98
↓10Virginia#62
↓10Marcia#68

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1954 rankings.