State roster

Top names in Massachusetts

The names most likely to appear on 1956 Massachusetts birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 107,507 Massachusetts births in 1956 across 883 distinct names.

Distinctively Massachusetts

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

#57Dana#178 nationally
#69Leo#184 nationally
#67Gerard#180 nationally
#91Bradfordoutside the national top 200
#92Jayneoutside the national top 200
#43Doreen#147 nationally
#98Laurenceoutside the national top 200
#100Claireoutside the national top 200
#57Lynne#156 nationally
#77Neil#171 nationally
#86Allan#177 nationally
#98Marjorie#187 nationally

Girls

#1Susan2,080US #5
#2Mary1,970US #1
#3Patricia1,602US #6
#4Karen1,579US #7
#5Donna1,572US #10
#6Deborah1,549US #4
#7Linda1,450US #3
#8Nancy1,294US #11
#9Debra1,292US #2
#10Kathleen1,184US #17
#11Diane1,005US #15
#12Cheryl1,000US #18
#13Cynthia928US #8
#14Barbara818US #9
#15Carol788US #16
#16Elizabeth730US #22
#17Ann604US #46
#18Pamela586US #12
#19Sharon584US #13
#20Sandra574US #14
#21Janet545US #21
#22Denise514US #23
#23Judith507US #45
#24Paula505US #47
#25Catherine490US #28
#26Gail488US #49
#27Margaret485US #25
#28Maureen470US #102
#29Jane423US #50
#30Jean416US #65
#31Christine414US #42
#32Robin408US #29
#33Joanne407US #99
#34Joan405US #52
#35Anne404US #86
#36Lisa398US #31
#37Ellen358US #84
#38Theresa334US #32
#39Janice327US #26
#40Joyce324US #30
#41Elaine310US #89
#42Marie284US #96
#43Doreen281US #147
#44Brenda266US #19
#45Lynn250US #58
#46Laurie249US #76
#47Laura243US #34
#48Eileen238US #123
#49Sheila232US #55
#50Suzanne229US #94
#51Michelle226US #88
#52Jo223US #69
#53Darlene222US #71
#54Jeanne221US #112
#55Katherine219US #67
#56Kim219US #38
#57Lynne209US #156
#58Dorothy185US #72
#59Martha185US #59
#60Bonnie183US #51
#61Wendy183US #95
#62Valerie179US #80
#63Kathryn178US #60
#64Andrea177US #127
#65Virginia175US #75
#66Dianne170US #137
#67Ruth169US #77
#68Kathy168US #20
#69Cindy164US #37
#70Beverly162US #40
#71Leslie162US #104
#72Rose162US #64
#73Michele159US #100
#74Lorraine150US #124
#75Helen148US #90
#76Lori148US #66
#77Roberta148US #116
#78Marcia147US #110
#79Julie146US #48
#80Cathy145US #36
#81Maria141US #73
#82Jacqueline135US #78
#83Teresa135US #24
#84Charlene134US #132
#85Carolyn130US #33
#86Colleen130US #113
#87Jill125US #101
#88Amy124US #122
#89Judy120US #35
#90Dawn117US #92
#91Marilyn116US #70
#92Jayne112
#93Louise112US #165
#94Beth111US #117
#95Debbie111US #39
#96Sarah110US #115
#97Kimberly107US #74
#98Marjorie100US #187
#99Rita100US #79
#100Claire99

Boys

#1John3,300US #5
#2Robert3,231US #3
#3Michael3,061US #1
#4David2,769US #4
#5James2,427US #2
#6Richard2,178US #7
#7William2,067US #6
#8Paul1,882US #17
#9Mark1,726US #8
#10Thomas1,673US #9
#11Joseph1,566US #12
#12Stephen1,479US #23
#13Steven1,202US #10
#14Kevin1,016US #22
#15Peter1,014US #37
#16Brian987US #32
#17Daniel898US #18
#18Edward876US #25
#19Gary821US #13
#20Charles815US #11
#21Donald743US #14
#22Kenneth725US #16
#23Jeffrey654US #20
#24Ronald626US #15
#25George555US #27
#26Bruce509US #33
#27Timothy471US #19
#28Scott430US #34
#29Wayne419US #45
#30Alan398US #44
#31Christopher387US #47
#32Anthony385US #30
#33Dennis373US #26
#34Douglas366US #29
#35Raymond356US #39
#36Lawrence334US #42
#37Philip334US #64
#38Francis322US #111
#39Frank315US #38
#40Gregory305US #24
#41Arthur259US #60
#42Keith238US #36
#43Russell238US #52
#44Andrew237US #56
#45Patrick231US #40
#46Gerald225US #49
#47Barry210US #69
#48Roger199US #41
#49Frederick192US #91
#50Glenn187US #61
#51Walter185US #53
#52Jonathan173US #114
#53Carl171US #48
#54Albert169US #81
#55Louis154US #82
#56Ralph154US #67
#57Dana153US #178
#58Craig150US #51
#59Martin149US #73
#60Eric148US #79
#61Matthew145US #90
#62Henry143US #71
#63Alfred137US #121
#64Jay134US #92
#65Norman133US #107
#66Vincent133US #98
#67Gerard129US #180
#68Leonard123US #89
#69Leo120US #184
#70Marc119US #135
#71Ernest109US #94
#72Harold104US #72
#73Larry101US #21
#74Nicholas101US #147
#75Eugene99US #86
#76Stanley99US #70
#77Neil96US #171
#78Joel90US #106
#79Theodore88US #119
#80Roy87US #62
#81Bernard82US #129
#82Howard81US #84
#83Warren80US #141
#84Phillip76US #76
#85Allen75US #87
#86Allan74US #177
#87Clifford71US #122
#88Dean71US #99
#89Gordon71US #130
#90Jon71US #116
#91Bradford70
#92Bryan70US #132
#93Randy68US #28
#94Dale67US #50
#95Glen67US #125
#96Lee63US #104
#97Edwin62US #124
#98Laurence60
#99Steve60US #59
#100Fred58US #102

On the move since 1955

Rising

↑31Doreen#43
↑28Kim#56
↑18Joel#78
↑15Michelle#51
↑14Lori#76
↑11Allan#86
↑9Laura#47
↑9Valerie#62

Falling

↓15Rose#72
↓13Bonnie#60
↓12Marilyn#91
↓12Howard#82
↓11Beverly#70
↓10Marcia#78
↓10Louise#93
↓10Marc#70

Every state

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