State roster

Top names in Pennsylvania

The names most likely to appear on 1956 Pennsylvania birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 238,895 Pennsylvania births in 1956 across 1,582 distinct names.

Distinctively Pennsylvania

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

#99Tyrone#197 nationally
#95Gerard#180 nationally
#54Eileen#123 nationally
#44Francis#111 nationally
#80Nicholas#147 nationally
#44Joanne#99 nationally
#48Michele#100 nationally
#88Joann#139 nationally
#68Beth#117 nationally
#47Harry#95 nationally
#55Maureen#102 nationally
#75Theodore#119 nationally

Girls

#1Mary3,869US #1
#2Deborah3,568US #4
#3Susan3,317US #5
#4Linda3,077US #3
#5Karen3,037US #7
#6Patricia3,017US #6
#7Debra2,899US #2
#8Donna2,418US #10
#9Barbara2,355US #9
#10Cynthia2,175US #8
#11Kathleen2,037US #17
#12Diane1,995US #15
#13Nancy1,890US #11
#14Sharon1,797US #13
#15Carol1,629US #16
#16Sandra1,424US #14
#17Cheryl1,364US #18
#18Denise1,265US #23
#19Pamela1,242US #12
#20Margaret1,130US #25
#21Elizabeth1,052US #22
#22Kathy967US #20
#23Janet956US #21
#24Judith849US #45
#25Robin843US #29
#26Christine831US #42
#27Cindy814US #37
#28Theresa811US #32
#29Catherine791US #28
#30Joyce738US #30
#31Kim722US #38
#32Joan713US #52
#33Lisa702US #31
#34Bonnie675US #51
#35Brenda674US #19
#36Janice669US #26
#37Cathy666US #36
#38Darlene644US #71
#39Ann622US #46
#40Beverly615US #40
#41Lynn598US #58
#42Jane585US #50
#43Kimberly559US #74
#44Joanne533US #99
#45Ruth507US #77
#46Gail506US #49
#47Jean490US #65
#48Michele487US #100
#49Rose474US #64
#50Rebecca471US #27
#51Debbie468US #39
#52Kathryn465US #60
#53Anne448US #86
#54Eileen444US #123
#55Maureen442US #102
#56Dorothy436US #72
#57Elaine432US #89
#58Paula428US #47
#59Shirley427US #41
#60Marie418US #96
#61Teresa414US #24
#62Tina412US #87
#63Wendy407US #95
#64Valerie403US #80
#65Judy399US #35
#66Ellen398US #84
#67Laura398US #34
#68Beth384US #117
#69Suzanne376US #94
#70Dawn366US #92
#71Virginia364US #75
#72Diana350US #56
#73Maria349US #73
#74Renee349US #106
#75Carolyn348US #33
#76Sherry344US #54
#77Colleen343US #113
#78Jo343US #69
#79Jacqueline341US #78
#80Betty340US #44
#81Michelle337US #88
#82Anna336US #103
#83Sally335US #105
#84Sheila334US #55
#85Helen324US #90
#86Connie323US #43
#87Anita319US #83
#88Joann319US #139
#89Vicki319US #57
#90Victoria316US #85
#91Lorraine313US #124
#92Amy312US #122
#93Rita312US #79
#94Jill309US #101
#95Lori309US #66
#96Roberta301US #116
#97Gloria293US #53
#98Andrea286US #127
#99Terry278US #91
#100Phyllis277US #82

Boys

#1John6,534US #5
#2Robert6,256US #3
#3David5,674US #4
#4Michael5,605US #1
#5James5,419US #2
#6William4,557US #6
#7Joseph3,727US #12
#8Richard3,717US #7
#9Thomas3,696US #9
#10Mark3,008US #8
#11Charles2,127US #11
#12Jeffrey2,095US #20
#13Gary1,962US #13
#14Edward1,895US #25
#15Donald1,819US #14
#16Daniel1,815US #18
#17Ronald1,799US #15
#18Paul1,700US #17
#19Kenneth1,579US #16
#20Steven1,571US #10
#21Kevin1,551US #22
#22Stephen1,523US #23
#23Timothy1,424US #19
#24George1,381US #27
#25Dennis1,307US #26
#26Gregory1,174US #24
#27Anthony1,160US #30
#28Bruce954US #33
#29Brian922US #32
#30Frank912US #38
#31Scott895US #34
#32Keith888US #36
#33Douglas884US #29
#34Raymond882US #39
#35Randy824US #28
#36Larry794US #21
#37Patrick659US #40
#38Barry653US #69
#39Terry632US #31
#40Gerald616US #49
#41Peter601US #37
#42Lawrence596US #42
#43Wayne589US #45
#44Francis577US #111
#45Dale554US #50
#46Walter527US #53
#47Harry514US #95
#48Carl501US #48
#49Alan493US #44
#50Andrew493US #56
#51Craig492US #51
#52Glenn492US #61
#53Christopher490US #47
#54Samuel460US #74
#55Philip432US #64
#56Louis416US #82
#57Eugene409US #86
#58Martin403US #73
#59Vincent401US #98
#60Russell398US #52
#61Albert387US #81
#62Frederick378US #91
#63Leonard377US #89
#64Ralph375US #67
#65Arthur352US #60
#66Roger349US #41
#67Eric348US #79
#68Harold345US #72
#69Rodney340US #65
#70Stanley338US #70
#71Howard322US #84
#72Jack318US #66
#73Jay303US #92
#74Henry300US #71
#75Theodore292US #119
#76Randall289US #54
#77Matthew288US #90
#78Jerry284US #35
#79Jeffery280US #57
#80Nicholas257US #147
#81Allen248US #87
#82Ricky243US #43
#83Dean240US #99
#84Earl239US #110
#85Fred238US #102
#86Roy237US #62
#87Bernard232US #129
#88Norman216US #107
#89Lee211US #104
#90Jonathan203US #114
#91Ernest197US #94
#92Joel194US #106
#93Curtis192US #80
#94Bradley186US #103
#95Gerard178US #180
#96Jerome177US #117
#97Steve162US #59
#98Kurt161US #138
#99Tyrone161US #197
#100Victor161US #96

On the move since 1955

Rising

↑49Kimberly#43
↑29Debbie#51
↑28Kim#31
↑23Renee#74
↑22Cindy#27
↑22Colleen#77
↑18Laura#67
↑18Maria#73

Falling

↓26Gloria#97
↓25Helen#85
↓24Jo#78
↓22Lorraine#91
↓17Paula#58
↓14Jacqueline#79
↓13Elaine#57
↓13Connie#86

Every state

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