State roster

Top names in Michigan

The names most likely to appear on 1956 Michigan birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 194,064 Michigan births in 1956 across 1,596 distinct names.

Distinctively Michigan

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

#100Dave#200 nationally
#79Kurt#138 nationally
#69Duane#127 nationally
#75Dan#133 nationally
#38Dawn#92 nationally
#91Jeff#145 nationally
#66Kim#118 nationally
#96Jim#148 nationally
#80Gordon#130 nationally
#71Sue#118 nationally
#61Renee#106 nationally
#57Rick#100 nationally

Girls

#1Mary3,155US #1
#2Susan2,594US #5
#3Linda2,521US #3
#4Debra2,485US #2
#5Karen2,446US #7
#6Deborah2,353US #4
#7Patricia2,008US #6
#8Cynthia1,765US #8
#9Nancy1,590US #11
#10Barbara1,499US #9
#11Pamela1,473US #12
#12Cheryl1,454US #18
#13Sandra1,421US #14
#14Diane1,363US #15
#15Kathleen1,315US #17
#16Sharon1,311US #13
#17Carol1,236US #16
#18Denise1,230US #23
#19Donna1,025US #10
#20Kathy960US #20
#21Janet813US #21
#22Brenda806US #19
#23Cindy770US #37
#24Robin708US #29
#25Janice707US #26
#26Kim672US #38
#27Elizabeth627US #22
#28Laura623US #34
#29Margaret622US #25
#30Christine612US #42
#31Theresa606US #32
#32Catherine599US #28
#33Cathy581US #36
#34Julie568US #48
#35Debbie536US #39
#36Gail531US #49
#37Lori531US #66
#38Dawn525US #92
#39Ann519US #46
#40Rebecca517US #27
#41Judith502US #45
#42Judy492US #35
#43Teresa485US #24
#44Sherry469US #54
#45Lisa462US #31
#46Lynn461US #58
#47Paula455US #47
#48Connie452US #43
#49Kimberly450US #74
#50Bonnie445US #51
#51Laurie438US #76
#52Kathryn424US #60
#53Joyce419US #30
#54Sheila413US #55
#55Beverly407US #40
#56Jane401US #50
#57Darlene394US #71
#58Vicki378US #57
#59Peggy373US #63
#60Michelle360US #88
#61Renee357US #106
#62Diana355US #56
#63Katherine355US #67
#64Jean354US #65
#65Jill353US #101
#66Ruth353US #77
#67Suzanne350US #94
#68Terri341US #81
#69Joan340US #52
#70Michele333US #100
#71Sue332US #118
#72Valerie329US #80
#73Sheryl326US #114
#74Colleen322US #113
#75Marilyn321US #70
#76Vickie321US #68
#77Carolyn319US #33
#78Marcia316US #110
#79Shirley314US #41
#80Tina312US #87
#81Sally311US #105
#82Rhonda310US #62
#83Rose310US #64
#84Victoria307US #85
#85Betty306US #44
#86Beth292US #117
#87Anne290US #86
#88Jacqueline284US #78
#89Terry283US #91
#90Wendy282US #95
#91Elaine280US #89
#92Martha266US #59
#93Gloria261US #53
#94Annette254US #119
#95Jo249US #69
#96Marie244US #96
#97Anita228US #83
#98Dorothy224US #72
#99Maureen224US #102
#100Yvonne224US #121

Boys

#1Michael4,901US #1
#2David4,431US #4
#3Robert4,137US #3
#4James3,972US #2
#5John3,676US #5
#6Mark3,166US #8
#7William2,646US #6
#8Richard2,551US #7
#9Thomas2,538US #9
#10Steven2,044US #10
#11Gary1,809US #13
#12Daniel1,732US #18
#13Timothy1,603US #19
#14Ronald1,573US #15
#15Donald1,542US #14
#16Joseph1,474US #12
#17Paul1,461US #17
#18Charles1,439US #11
#19Kenneth1,412US #16
#20Dennis1,318US #26
#21Gregory1,315US #24
#22Kevin1,269US #22
#23Jeffrey1,244US #20
#24Douglas1,156US #29
#25Brian1,087US #32
#26Larry1,034US #21
#27Randy873US #28
#28Edward835US #25
#29Bruce819US #33
#30Stephen803US #23
#31Terry788US #31
#32Scott777US #34
#33Keith746US #36
#34Patrick737US #40
#35Anthony650US #30
#36George640US #27
#37Gerald603US #49
#38Dale582US #50
#39Lawrence538US #42
#40Raymond519US #39
#41Craig508US #51
#42Jerry474US #35
#43Christopher469US #47
#44Jeffery463US #57
#45Roger463US #41
#46Peter445US #37
#47Alan441US #44
#48Frank427US #38
#49Carl413US #48
#50Randall385US #54
#51Jack380US #66
#52Russell374US #52
#53Martin344US #73
#54Wayne343US #45
#55Rodney329US #65
#56Matthew320US #90
#57Rick319US #100
#58Steve313US #59
#59Ricky305US #43
#60Eric299US #79
#61Walter286US #53
#62Andrew285US #56
#63Philip284US #64
#64Phillip279US #76
#65Danny278US #46
#66Kim278US #118
#67Glenn269US #61
#68Harold269US #72
#69Duane266US #127
#70Micheal264US #83
#71Arthur258US #60
#72Mike258US #97
#73Ralph254US #67
#74Frederick239US #91
#75Dan232US #133
#76Stanley222US #70
#77Barry220US #69
#78Dean218US #99
#79Kurt215US #138
#80Gordon212US #130
#81Henry212US #71
#82Roy206US #62
#83Allen197US #87
#84Bradley196US #103
#85Norman193US #107
#86Chris191US #128
#87Leonard188US #89
#88Curtis184US #80
#89Joe184US #63
#90Jerome178US #117
#91Jeff177US #145
#92Louis177US #82
#93Howard175US #84
#94Joel174US #106
#95Theodore173US #119
#96Jim167US #148
#97Lee165US #104
#98Darrell164US #88
#99Jon163US #116
#100Dave162US #200

On the move since 1955

Rising

↑45Kimberly#49
↑33Debbie#35
↑30Cindy#23
↑30Kim#26
↑29Renee#61
↑23Lori#37
↑17Darlene#57
↑17Dan#75

Falling

↓20Carolyn#77
↓20Sally#81
↓20Rose#83
↓18Bonnie#50
↓18Ruth#66
↓17Terry#89
↓16Beverly#55
↓16Kim#66

Every state

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