Birth year roster

Top names in 1955

The 100 most common names on 1955 birth certificates, for girls and boys, ranked by SSA records.

Mary and Michael led the 1955 baby-name charts, the top names among baby boom births. Mary was the #1 girls’ name for 76 years in all (between 1880 and 1961); Michael was the #1 boys’ name for 44 years in all (between 1954 and 1998). Of the 200 names below, 162 are now endangered or extinct; the tag on each shows where it stands today.

Explore the 1950s decade

Girls

#1Mary Endangered63,174
#2Deborah Endangered52,318
#3Linda Endangered51,300
#4Debra Endangered50,563
#5Susan Endangered47,418
#6Patricia Endangered46,226
#7Barbara Endangered33,617
#8Karen Endangered33,217
#9Nancy Endangered30,023
#10Donna Endangered27,940
#11Cynthia Endangered27,178
#12Pamela Endangered26,690
#13Sandra Endangered25,112
#14Diane Endangered23,290
#15Carol Endangered22,046
#16Sharon Endangered22,044
#17Kathleen Endangered22,014
#18Brenda Endangered19,114
#19Cheryl Endangered19,111
#20Janet Endangered17,920
#21Elizabeth Stable16,696
#22Kathy Endangered15,324
#23Denise Endangered14,560
#24Margaret Endangered14,440
#25Janice Endangered13,178
#26Teresa Endangered13,126
#27Rebecca Endangered12,398
#28Catherine Endangered11,636
#29Joyce Endangered11,287
#30Carolyn Endangered11,179
#31Judith Endangered10,436
#32Judy Endangered10,376
#33Robin Endangered10,217
#34Beverly Endangered10,001
#35Connie Endangered9,975
#36Betty Endangered9,924
#37Shirley Endangered9,755
#38Theresa Endangered9,620
#39Paula Endangered9,585
#40Christine Endangered9,042
#41Laura Endangered9,008
#42Gail Endangered8,972
#43Ann Endangered8,916
#44Cathy Endangered8,665
#45Bonnie Endangered8,637
#46Joan Endangered8,557
#47Gloria Endangered8,551
#48Lisa Endangered8,539
#49Marilyn Endangered8,409
#50Jane Stable8,343
#51Peggy Endangered7,983
#52Vicki Declining7,975
#53Martha Endangered7,930
#54Rose Stable7,852
#55Diana Stable7,847
#56Sherry Endangered7,769
#57Sheila Endangered7,661
#58Jo Endangered7,656
#59Kathryn Endangered7,640
#60Jean Endangered7,480
#61Wanda Endangered7,415
#62Lynn Endangered7,355
#63Debbie Endangered7,254
#64Dorothy Endangered7,242
#65Katherine Declining7,239
#66Virginia Endangered6,855
#67Julie Endangered6,788
#68Vickie Declining6,637
#69Maria Stable6,210
#70Ruth Endangered6,187
#71Rhonda Endangered6,171
#72Rita Endangered6,094
#73Jacqueline Endangered6,041
#74Phyllis Endangered5,689
#75Kim Endangered5,687
#76Darlene Endangered5,641
#77Elaine Rising5,635
#78Helen Endangered5,592
#79Cindy Endangered5,588
#80Valerie Stable5,512
#81Ellen Endangered5,471
#82Victoria Declining5,359
#83Terry Endangered5,353
#84Anne Endangered5,218
#85Terri Endangered5,153
#86Suzanne Endangered5,137
#87Alice Stable5,079
#88Joanne Endangered4,987
#89Lori Endangered4,976
#90Wendy Endangered4,955
#91Laurie Endangered4,954
#92Marie Endangered4,925
#93Michele Endangered4,768
#94Anita Endangered4,718
#95Sally Endangered4,688
#96Frances Endangered4,641
#97Michelle Endangered4,526
#98Marcia Endangered4,412
#99Leslie Endangered4,405
#100Maureen Endangered4,339

Boys

#1Michael Past peak88,355
#2David Past peak86,306
#3James Stable84,186
#4Robert Endangered83,758
#5John Past peak80,128
#6William Declining59,990
#7Richard Endangered53,566
#8Thomas Stable45,855
#9Mark Endangered42,255
#10Steven Endangered37,847
#11Charles Stable35,365
#12Gary Endangered34,433
#13Joseph Declining31,589
#14Donald Endangered27,726
#15Kenneth Endangered26,743
#16Paul Endangered26,701
#17Daniel Declining26,460
#18Ronald Endangered26,172
#19Larry Endangered22,819
#20Jeffrey Endangered22,533
#21Stephen Endangered22,155
#22Timothy Endangered20,738
#23Dennis Endangered20,436
#24Gregory Endangered19,815
#25Edward Endangered19,280
#26George Stable18,167
#27Kevin Endangered17,158
#28Terry Endangered15,586
#29Douglas Endangered15,311
#30Randy Endangered14,958
#31Anthony Declining14,170
#32Bruce Endangered14,082
#33Jerry Endangered12,975
#34Frank Endangered11,109
#35Peter Stable11,003
#36Raymond Endangered10,994
#37Roger Endangered10,979
#38Scott Endangered10,782
#39Keith Endangered10,418
#40Brian Endangered10,109
#41Patrick Declining9,869
#42Lawrence Endangered9,128
#43Alan Stable9,037
#44Wayne Endangered8,728
#45Danny Endangered8,721
#46Ricky Endangered8,329
#47Carl Endangered8,294
#48Gerald Endangered8,072
#49Christopher Endangered7,922
#50Craig Endangered7,448
#51Walter Stable7,299
#52Dale Endangered7,182
#53Randall Endangered6,688
#54Willie Endangered6,629
#55Johnny Endangered6,620
#56Arthur Rising6,570
#57Russell Stable6,539
#58Roy Endangered6,331
#59Glenn Endangered6,258
#60Jack Stable6,200
#61Henry Stable6,187
#62Philip Endangered6,162
#63Harold Endangered6,096
#64Stanley Endangered6,050
#65Rodney Endangered6,047
#66Andrew Declining6,012
#67Ralph Endangered5,965
#68Joe Endangered5,856
#69Billy Endangered5,769
#70Barry Endangered5,599
#71Samuel Stable5,535
#72Steve Endangered5,509
#73Jeffery Endangered5,466
#74Phillip Endangered5,411
#75Bobby Endangered5,223
#76Albert Endangered5,179
#77Martin Stable5,068
#78Jimmy Endangered5,036
#79Curtis Endangered4,981
#80Ronnie Endangered4,969
#81Eugene Endangered4,791
#82Louis Stable4,779
#83Howard Endangered4,746
#84Allen Endangered4,744
#85Eric Endangered4,660
#86Frederick Stable4,552
#87Micheal Endangered4,530
#88Leonard Endangered4,260
#89Harry Endangered4,139
#90Ernest Endangered3,975
#91Darrell Endangered3,902
#92Eddie Endangered3,781
#93Tony Endangered3,752
#94Marvin Endangered3,659
#95Melvin Endangered3,646
#96Lee Endangered3,607
#97Fred Endangered3,502
#98Kim Endangered3,490
#99Vincent Stable3,482
#100Francis Stable3,439