State roster

Top names in New Jersey

The names most likely to appear on 1956 New Jersey birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 114,052 New Jersey births in 1956 across 1,113 distinct names.

Distinctively New Jersey

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

#93Salvatoreoutside the national top 200
#78Gerard#180 nationally
#99Maryannoutside the national top 200
#59Nicholas#147 nationally
#41Eileen#123 nationally
#70Doreen#147 nationally
#51Lorraine#124 nationally
#67Joann#139 nationally
#31Michele#100 nationally
#33Maureen#102 nationally
#32Joanne#99 nationally
#50Francis#111 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,776US #1
#2Patricia1,764US #6
#3Susan1,728US #5
#4Linda1,564US #3
#5Karen1,424US #7
#6Deborah1,416US #4
#7Donna1,374US #10
#8Barbara1,331US #9
#9Nancy1,258US #11
#10Kathleen1,223US #17
#11Debra1,211US #2
#12Diane1,061US #15
#13Carol868US #16
#14Sharon837US #13
#15Cynthia756US #8
#16Elizabeth629US #22
#17Margaret605US #25
#18Cheryl520US #18
#19Denise519US #23
#20Janet507US #21
#21Pamela484US #12
#22Sandra481US #14
#23Catherine443US #28
#24Theresa422US #32
#25Joan420US #52
#26Robin406US #29
#27Judith405US #45
#28Lisa367US #31
#29Kim366US #38
#30Gail362US #49
#31Michele357US #100
#32Joanne354US #99
#33Maureen343US #102
#34Lynn336US #58
#35Jo331US #69
#36Laura321US #34
#37Christine319US #42
#38Joyce318US #30
#39Janice310US #26
#40Ellen308US #84
#41Eileen296US #123
#42Jane296US #50
#43Rose293US #64
#44Kathy273US #20
#45Ann269US #46
#46Elaine257US #89
#47Anne256US #86
#48Bonnie251US #51
#49Laurie248US #76
#50Valerie245US #80
#51Lorraine244US #124
#52Jean242US #65
#53Wendy237US #95
#54Cindy232US #37
#55Maria232US #73
#56Marie230US #96
#57Jacqueline224US #78
#58Dorothy223US #72
#59Debbie222US #39
#60Ruth221US #77
#61Virginia220US #75
#62Brenda214US #19
#63Cathy213US #36
#64Darlene212US #71
#65Suzanne211US #94
#66Beverly210US #40
#67Joann202US #139
#68Helen201US #90
#69Lori200US #66
#70Doreen187US #147
#71Michelle185US #88
#72Teresa185US #24
#73Frances182US #107
#74Jill182US #101
#75Dawn178US #92
#76Gloria177US #53
#77Judy175US #35
#78Katherine175US #67
#79Leslie175US #104
#80Paula175US #47
#81Carolyn172US #33
#82Kathryn171US #60
#83Andrea170US #127
#84Victoria161US #85
#85Diana158US #56
#86Shirley156US #41
#87Anna155US #103
#88Colleen152US #113
#89Jeanne152US #112
#90Amy146US #122
#91Lois141US #135
#92Marilyn141US #70
#93Angela140US #93
#94Betty136US #44
#95Phyllis136US #82
#96Alice135US #98
#97Sheila133US #55
#98Beth131US #117
#99Maryann128
#100Renee127US #106

Boys

#1Robert3,464US #3
#2John3,442US #5
#3Michael2,782US #1
#4James2,472US #2
#5William2,098US #6
#6David1,989US #4
#7Thomas1,985US #9
#8Joseph1,964US #12
#9Richard1,872US #7
#10Mark1,280US #8
#11Edward1,022US #25
#12Paul953US #17
#13Steven921US #10
#14Kevin916US #22
#15Charles907US #11
#16Gary906US #13
#17Kenneth849US #16
#18Peter813US #37
#19Anthony806US #30
#20Jeffrey779US #20
#21George749US #27
#22Stephen721US #23
#23Donald706US #14
#24Ronald681US #15
#25Daniel662US #18
#26Frank641US #38
#27Brian637US #32
#28Gregory533US #24
#29Raymond498US #39
#30Bruce493US #33
#31Douglas439US #29
#32Timothy409US #19
#33Keith396US #36
#34Dennis390US #26
#35Wayne378US #45
#36Glenn361US #61
#37Christopher352US #47
#38Scott346US #34
#39Lawrence327US #42
#40Patrick314US #40
#41Walter312US #53
#42Andrew310US #56
#43Louis308US #82
#44Alan283US #44
#45Arthur279US #60
#46Vincent275US #98
#47Carl240US #48
#48Barry238US #69
#49Philip238US #64
#50Francis233US #111
#51Larry225US #21
#52Frederick218US #91
#53Ralph211US #67
#54Albert210US #81
#55Russell209US #52
#56Craig208US #51
#57Martin195US #73
#58Gerald194US #49
#59Nicholas188US #147
#60Eugene185US #86
#61Harry185US #95
#62Henry183US #71
#63Matthew170US #90
#64Eric163US #79
#65Harold159US #72
#66Howard158US #84
#67Theodore153US #119
#68Stanley152US #70
#69Victor150US #96
#70Leonard145US #89
#71Samuel142US #74
#72Roger132US #41
#73Jonathan130US #114
#74Jack123US #66
#75Jerry119US #35
#76Alfred117US #121
#77Edwin117US #124
#78Gerard116US #180
#79Jay116US #92
#80Fred115US #102
#81Ernest105US #94
#82Allen104US #87
#83Roy102US #62
#84Marc100US #135
#85Glen98US #125
#86Lee98US #104
#87Randy96US #28
#88Guy93US #146
#89Norman91US #107
#90Herbert87US #137
#91Willie84US #58
#92Karl83US #150
#93Salvatore83
#94Bernard81US #129
#95Warren81US #141
#96Jerome80US #117
#97Clifford79US #122
#98Benjamin78US #131
#99Steve77US #59
#100Jeffery76US #57

On the move since 1955

Rising

↑31Laurie#49
↑25Doreen#70
↑24Kim#29
↑24Debbie#59
↑22Cathy#63
↑20Victor#69
↑13Lisa#28
↑13Edwin#77

Falling

↓30Marilyn#92
↓21Kathryn#82
↓20Colleen#88
↓17Paula#80
↓14Marie#56
↓13Clifford#97
↓12Carolyn#81
↓12Warren#95

Every state

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