State roster

Top names in New York

The names most likely to appear on 1956 New York birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 341,018 New York births in 1956 across 2,160 distinct names.

Distinctively New York

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

#87Luisoutside the national top 200
#89Salvatoreoutside the national top 200
#70Gerard#180 nationally
#100Angeloutside the national top 200
#75Carmen#166 nationally
#96Stuart#186 nationally
#88Neil#171 nationally
#41Eileen#123 nationally
#65Nicholas#147 nationally
#84Carlos#166 nationally
#47Lorraine#124 nationally
#33Joanne#99 nationally

Girls

#1Susan5,092US #5
#2Mary5,062US #1
#3Patricia4,270US #6
#4Deborah4,098US #4
#5Linda3,797US #3
#6Karen3,517US #7
#7Barbara3,263US #9
#8Nancy3,142US #11
#9Debra3,084US #2
#10Donna3,018US #10
#11Kathleen2,860US #17
#12Diane2,645US #15
#13Carol2,091US #16
#14Cynthia1,998US #8
#15Elizabeth1,914US #22
#16Sharon1,766US #13
#17Margaret1,557US #25
#18Denise1,553US #23
#19Sandra1,433US #14
#20Cheryl1,413US #18
#21Janet1,317US #21
#22Catherine1,303US #28
#23Pamela1,228US #12
#24Theresa1,222US #32
#25Robin1,178US #29
#26Laura1,158US #34
#27Lisa1,148US #31
#28Maria1,139US #73
#29Joan1,119US #52
#30Christine1,096US #42
#31Ann1,065US #46
#32Ellen997US #84
#33Joanne989US #99
#34Kim983US #38
#35Judith979US #45
#36Maureen979US #102
#37Gail960US #49
#38Anne920US #86
#39Laurie881US #76
#40Jean844US #65
#41Eileen831US #123
#42Lynn822US #58
#43Jo814US #69
#44Rose804US #64
#45Jane800US #50
#46Michele798US #100
#47Lorraine774US #124
#48Marie758US #96
#49Bonnie757US #51
#50Valerie717US #80
#51Kathy715US #20
#52Lori715US #66
#53Wendy696US #95
#54Joyce679US #30
#55Janice677US #26
#56Cindy663US #37
#57Brenda662US #19
#58Evelyn646US #120
#59Elaine621US #89
#60Darlene617US #71
#61Suzanne617US #94
#62Amy613US #122
#63Michelle600US #88
#64Diana581US #56
#65Paula560US #47
#66Cathy554US #36
#67Dawn553US #92
#68Jacqueline553US #78
#69Helen548US #90
#70Katherine540US #67
#71Andrea536US #127
#72Kathryn535US #60
#73Marilyn534US #70
#74Virginia532US #75
#75Carmen531US #166
#76Teresa524US #24
#77Sheila498US #55
#78Frances496US #107
#79Anna491US #103
#80Debbie487US #39
#81Dorothy486US #72
#82Carolyn485US #33
#83Judy485US #35
#84Ruth481US #77
#85Victoria481US #85
#86Jeanne479US #112
#87Colleen475US #113
#88Leslie467US #104
#89Doreen466US #147
#90Angela463US #93
#91Beverly449US #40
#92Gloria442US #53
#93Phyllis436US #82
#94Jill434US #101
#95Julie432US #48
#96Renee425US #106
#97Joann411US #139
#98Stephanie411US #111
#99Alice401US #98
#100Beth397US #117

Boys

#1Michael8,707US #1
#2John8,604US #5
#3Robert8,584US #3
#4James6,530US #2
#5David5,942US #4
#6William5,453US #6
#7Richard5,351US #7
#8Thomas4,961US #9
#9Joseph4,892US #12
#10Mark3,737US #8
#11Steven3,187US #10
#12Paul2,916US #17
#13Kevin2,793US #22
#14Peter2,590US #37
#15Daniel2,531US #18
#16Charles2,487US #11
#17Edward2,472US #25
#18Anthony2,418US #30
#19Gary2,336US #13
#20Jeffrey2,255US #20
#21Stephen2,172US #23
#22Kenneth2,148US #16
#23Donald1,945US #14
#24Ronald1,931US #15
#25George1,795US #27
#26Brian1,727US #32
#27Frank1,717US #38
#28Timothy1,696US #19
#29Gregory1,460US #24
#30Bruce1,310US #33
#31Douglas1,264US #29
#32Raymond1,241US #39
#33Lawrence1,223US #42
#34Christopher1,169US #47
#35Dennis1,102US #26
#36Scott1,083US #34
#37Andrew1,081US #56
#38Patrick1,000US #40
#39Alan998US #44
#40Keith920US #36
#41Vincent875US #98
#42Philip841US #64
#43Louis838US #82
#44Wayne777US #45
#45Martin761US #73
#46Jose745US #108
#47Arthur724US #60
#48Eric723US #79
#49Larry673US #21
#50Howard646US #84
#51Ralph628US #67
#52Glenn619US #61
#53Walter617US #53
#54Gerald606US #49
#55Carl600US #48
#56Frederick586US #91
#57Francis574US #111
#58Randy571US #28
#59Russell552US #52
#60Barry545US #69
#61Matthew542US #90
#62Craig541US #51
#63Edwin531US #124
#64Henry530US #71
#65Nicholas506US #147
#66Jonathan480US #114
#67Albert469US #81
#68Victor469US #96
#69Eugene463US #86
#70Gerard448US #180
#71Roger439US #41
#72Harold426US #72
#73Leonard416US #89
#74Marc397US #135
#75Samuel389US #74
#76Jay385US #92
#77Mitchell384US #136
#78Stanley383US #70
#79Harry382US #95
#80Jack372US #66
#81Terry359US #31
#82Roy353US #62
#83Dale350US #50
#84Carlos338US #166
#85Jerry337US #35
#86Alfred335US #121
#87Luis334
#88Neil323US #171
#89Salvatore303
#90Theodore301US #119
#91Allen292US #87
#92Bernard291US #129
#93Steve276US #59
#94Fred271US #102
#95Joel271US #106
#96Stuart268US #186
#97Ernest262US #94
#98Norman252US #107
#99Clifford250US #122
#100Angel242

On the move since 1955

Rising

↑21Kim#34
↑21Darlene#60
↑16Debbie#80
↑12Dawn#67
↑12Andrea#71
↑11Laurie#39
↑11Matthew#61
↑11Jay#76

Falling

↓17Gloria#92
↓15Virginia#74
↓14Beverly#91
↓11Frances#78
↓10Dorothy#81
↓9Janice#55
↓9Phyllis#93
↓8Marilyn#73

Every state

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