Popular baby names of 1950

In 1950, the most popular baby names in the United States were Linda for girls (80,433 babies) and James for boys (86,228). Social Security records show 3,503,316 babies with a name given to at least five children of the same sex that year, sharing 6,109 girls' names and 4,196 boys' names.

1950 at a glance

The top 10 girls' names went to 24.1% of girls recorded.
The top 10 boys' names went to 33.8% of boys recorded.
New in the girls' top 100: Debra, Denise, Irene, Joann.
New in the boys' top 100: Eric, Clifford.

Top 100 girls' and boys' names, 1950

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1949
1	Linda	80,433	–
2	Mary	65,481	–
3	Patricia	47,944	–
4	Barbara	41,556	–
5	Susan	38,017	–
6	Nancy	29,617	↑1
7	Deborah	29,063	↑8
8	Sandra	28,896	↓2
9	Carol	26,163	↓1
10	Kathleen	25,706	↓1
11	Sharon	24,612	↓1
12	Karen	24,132	↓1
13	Donna	21,629	↓1
14	Brenda	20,799	↓1
15	Margaret	18,110	↓1
16	Diane	17,636	↑3
17	Pamela	16,202	↑4
18	Janet	16,193	↑5
19	Shirley	15,891	↓1
20	Carolyn	15,588	↓3
21	Judith	15,352	↓5
22	Janice	15,012	↑2
23	Cynthia	14,447	↑4
24	Elizabeth	14,334	↑1
25	Judy	14,207	↓5
26	Betty	13,615	↓4
27	Joyce	13,415	↓1
28	Christine	12,673	↑2
29	Cheryl	11,823	↓1
30	Gloria	11,037	↓1
31	Beverly	10,503	–
32	Martha	9,839	↑2
33	Bonnie	9,746	↑2
34	Catherine	9,655	↑3
35	Dorothy	9,551	↓3
36	Rebecca	9,425	↑4
37	Marilyn	9,285	↓4
38	Kathy	9,090	↑4
39	Jane	8,964	↑2
40	Joan	8,860	↓4
41	Peggy	8,532	↓3
42	Gail	8,350	↑9
43	Virginia	8,312	↓4
44	Connie	8,145	↓1
45	Ann	7,921	↓1
46	Kathryn	7,863	↑6
47	Diana	7,447	↑1
48	Jean	7,432	↓3
49	Ruth	7,128	↓2
50	Helen	7,061	↓4
51	Frances	6,975	↓2
52	Wanda	6,929	↑4
53	Phyllis	6,695	↓3
54	Paula	6,631	↑1
55	Jacqueline	6,455	↑3
56	Rita	6,424	↓2
57	Alice	6,363	↓4
58	Katherine	6,205	↑1
59	Debra	6,176	new
60	Elaine	6,037	↓3
61	Vicki	5,823	↑9
62	Sherry	5,808	↑6
63	Laura	5,725	↑2
64	Jo	5,676	↓4
65	Theresa	5,628	↓2
66	Ellen	5,567	↓2
67	Joanne	5,491	↓6
68	Marsha	5,400	↑11
69	Rose	5,376	↓3
70	Sheila	5,322	↑6
71	Suzanne	5,266	↓9
72	Marie	5,222	↓5
73	Maria	5,076	↓1
74	Doris	5,053	↓5
75	Cathy	5,031	↑6
76	Lynn	5,020	↓2
77	Marcia	4,955	↑1
78	Sally	4,870	↓1
79	Darlene	4,830	↓4
80	Charlotte	4,735	↓9
81	Teresa	4,724	↑1
82	Denise	4,514	new
83	Lois	4,504	↓10
84	Anne	4,459	↑2
85	Constance	4,441	↓2
86	Evelyn	4,275	↓6
87	Glenda	4,215	–
88	Sarah	4,143	↓4
89	Maureen	4,070	–
90	Dianne	3,921	↓5
91	Eileen	3,883	↑4
92	Irene	3,825	new
93	Anna	3,815	↓2
94	Victoria	3,781	↑2
95	Jeanne	3,736	↓3
96	Roberta	3,630	↑1
97	Sylvia	3,612	↓3
98	Joann	3,600	new
99	Anita	3,572	–
100	Sue	3,503	↓12

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1949
1	James	86,228	–
2	Robert	83,553	–
3	John	79,412	–
4	Michael	65,136	↑1
5	David	60,729	↑1
6	William	60,680	↓2
7	Richard	51,003	–
8	Thomas	45,596	–
9	Charles	39,095	–
10	Gary	33,737	↑2
11	Larry	31,480	↓1
12	Ronald	29,908	↓1
13	Joseph	27,022	↑1
14	Donald	26,999	↓1
15	Kenneth	23,813	–
16	Steven	23,250	↑4
17	Dennis	22,862	↓1
18	Paul	21,742	↓1
19	Stephen	20,511	–
20	George	20,183	↓2
21	Daniel	19,189	↑1
22	Edward	18,714	↓1
23	Mark	16,604	↑1
24	Jerry	15,261	↓1
25	Gregory	13,311	↑6
26	Bruce	12,674	–
27	Roger	12,552	↓2
28	Douglas	12,264	↑1
29	Frank	11,606	↓2
30	Terry	11,433	↓2
31	Raymond	11,180	↓1
32	Timothy	10,499	↑2
33	Lawrence	10,173	↓1
34	Gerald	9,726	↓1
35	Wayne	9,259	–
36	Anthony	8,612	–
37	Peter	8,362	↑1
38	Patrick	8,179	↑1
39	Danny	8,143	↑1
40	Walter	7,798	↓3
41	Alan	7,737	↑4
42	Willie	7,717	↓1
43	Jeffrey	7,644	↑5
44	Carl	7,288	↓1
45	Harold	7,214	↓3
46	Arthur	7,161	↓2
47	Henry	6,963	↓1
48	Jack	6,840	↓1
49	Dale	6,785	↑5
50	Johnny	6,581	↓1
51	Roy	6,454	–
52	Ralph	6,406	↓2
53	Philip	6,070	↑2
54	Joe	6,033	↓2
55	Jimmy	5,761	↓2
56	Albert	5,754	–
57	Billy	5,674	–
58	Eugene	5,481	–
59	Glenn	5,465	↑2
60	Stanley	5,453	–
61	Harry	5,375	↓2
62	Samuel	5,227	–
63	Howard	5,164	–
64	Phillip	5,055	↑2
65	Bobby	5,019	↑2
66	Louis	4,947	↓2
67	Russell	4,945	↑2
68	Andrew	4,932	↑7
69	Craig	4,888	↑8
70	Randall	4,843	↑9
71	Allen	4,840	–
72	Christopher	4,835	↑9
73	Kevin	4,752	↑22
74	Barry	4,694	↓1
75	Frederick	4,659	↓5
76	Ronnie	4,616	↓11
77	Leonard	4,581	↓3
78	Keith	4,566	↑7
79	Brian	4,441	↑7
80	Randy	4,354	↑12
81	Ernest	4,308	↓5
82	Scott	4,268	↑17
83	Steve	4,207	↓15
84	Fred	4,195	↓12
85	Martin	4,180	↓2
86	Francis	4,082	↓8
87	Melvin	3,886	↓5
88	Rodney	3,856	↓1
89	Eddie	3,760	↓9
90	Norman	3,641	–
91	Lee	3,611	↑2
92	Earl	3,589	↓1
93	Marvin	3,493	↓4
94	Tommy	3,434	↓10
95	Clarence	3,340	↓1
96	Alfred	3,235	–
97	Curtis	3,209	–
98	Eric	3,095	new
99	Theodore	2,960	↑1
100	Clifford	2,940	new

Every name given in 1950

All 10,305 names Social Security recorded for 1950, with their rank and count. Type to filter.

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