Popular baby names of 1951

In 1951, the most popular baby names in the United States were Linda for girls (73,982 babies) and James for boys (87,256). Social Security records show 3,683,696 babies with a name given to at least five children of the same sex that year, sharing 6,213 girls' names and 4,253 boys' names.

1951 at a glance

The top 10 girls' names went to 24.0% of girls recorded.
The top 10 boys' names went to 33.8% of boys recorded.
New in the girls' top 100: Vickie, Julie, Valerie.
New in the boys' top 100: Micheal.

Top 100 girls' and boys' names, 1951

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1950
1	Linda	73,982	–
2	Mary	65,721	–
3	Patricia	56,446	–
4	Deborah	42,053	↑3
5	Barbara	40,617	↓1
6	Susan	40,228	↓1
7	Nancy	30,346	↓1
8	Karen	27,998	↑4
9	Sandra	27,665	↓1
10	Kathleen	26,716	–
11	Carol	24,781	↓2
12	Donna	24,074	↑1
13	Sharon	23,920	↓2
14	Brenda	21,717	–
15	Diane	19,840	↑1
16	Pamela	18,570	↑1
17	Margaret	17,692	↓2
18	Debra	17,064	↑41
19	Janet	16,947	↓1
20	Cynthia	16,295	↑3
21	Janice	15,958	↑1
22	Carolyn	15,206	↓2
23	Elizabeth	15,118	↑1
24	Christine	15,017	↑4
25	Judith	14,935	↓4
26	Judy	14,017	↓1
27	Shirley	13,919	↓8
28	Joyce	13,472	↓1
29	Betty	12,822	↓3
30	Cheryl	11,986	↓1
31	Gloria	10,951	↓1
32	Rebecca	10,932	↑4
33	Beverly	10,860	↓2
34	Catherine	10,566	–
35	Kathy	10,406	↑3
36	Gail	9,886	↑6
37	Bonnie	9,706	↓4
38	Martha	9,605	↓6
39	Joan	9,403	↑1
40	Peggy	9,208	↑1
41	Marilyn	9,148	↓4
42	Dorothy	9,089	↓7
43	Jane	8,942	↓4
44	Connie	8,722	–
45	Kathryn	8,460	↑1
46	Ann	8,423	↓1
47	Virginia	8,180	↓4
48	Denise	8,116	↑34
49	Jean	7,627	↓1
50	Diana	7,396	↓3
51	Paula	7,290	↑3
52	Wanda	7,233	–
53	Ruth	7,076	↓4
54	Helen	6,949	↓4
55	Katherine	6,930	↑3
56	Jacqueline	6,915	↓1
57	Phyllis	6,791	↓4
58	Vicki	6,630	↑3
59	Frances	6,584	↓8
60	Laura	6,466	↑3
61	Rita	6,415	↓5
62	Alice	6,315	↓5
63	Teresa	6,213	↑18
64	Theresa	6,190	↑1
65	Rose	6,185	↑4
66	Elaine	6,069	↓6
67	Jo	6,001	↓3
68	Ellen	5,945	↓2
69	Sheila	5,897	↑1
70	Sherry	5,889	↓8
71	Cathy	5,697	↑4
72	Lynn	5,629	↑4
73	Joanne	5,358	↓6
74	Marcia	5,299	↑3
75	Maria	5,236	↓2
76	Marsha	5,188	↓8
77	Sally	5,138	↑1
78	Marie	5,046	↓6
79	Darlene	5,030	–
80	Doris	5,025	↓6
81	Victoria	4,907	↑13
82	Anne	4,873	↑2
83	Suzanne	4,828	↓12
84	Charlotte	4,649	↓4
85	Lois	4,533	↓2
86	Constance	4,367	↓1
87	Vickie	4,320	new
88	Evelyn	4,232	↓2
89	Glenda	4,135	↓2
90	Dianne	4,034	–
91	Sarah	4,028	↓3
92	Roberta	3,979	↑4
93	Maureen	3,878	↓4
94	Anna	3,870	↓1
95	Eileen	3,816	↓4
96	Anita	3,785	↑3
97	Sylvia	3,777	–
98	Jeanne	3,768	↓3
99	Julie	3,686	new
100	Valerie	3,559	new

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1950
1	James	87,256	–
2	Robert	86,353	–
3	John	81,569	–
4	Michael	72,807	–
5	David	64,788	–
6	William	62,781	–
7	Richard	54,541	–
8	Thomas	48,275	–
9	Charles	39,406	–
10	Gary	38,160	–
11	Larry	30,558	–
12	Ronald	29,049	–
13	Steven	28,363	↑3
14	Joseph	28,147	↓1
15	Donald	27,916	↓1
16	Kenneth	25,841	↓1
17	Dennis	24,264	–
18	Paul	22,853	–
19	Stephen	22,474	–
20	Mark	21,201	↑3
21	Daniel	21,121	–
22	George	20,212	↓2
23	Edward	19,913	↓1
24	Jerry	15,164	–
25	Gregory	14,102	–
26	Bruce	14,090	–
27	Douglas	13,902	↑1
28	Timothy	12,705	↑4
29	Roger	12,425	↓2
30	Terry	12,216	–
31	Frank	11,477	↓2
32	Raymond	11,227	↓1
33	Lawrence	10,266	–
34	Anthony	9,836	↑2
35	Jeffrey	9,713	↑8
36	Gerald	9,539	↓2
37	Wayne	9,327	↓2
38	Peter	8,999	↓1
39	Patrick	8,751	↓1
40	Alan	8,408	↑1
41	Danny	8,179	↓2
42	Walter	8,038	↓2
43	Carl	7,641	↑1
44	Arthur	7,414	↑2
45	Willie	7,226	↓3
46	Harold	7,178	↓1
47	Henry	7,120	–
48	Jack	7,004	–
49	Dale	6,963	–
50	Johnny	6,700	–
51	Ralph	6,525	↑1
52	Roy	6,466	↓1
53	Kevin	6,349	↑20
54	Stanley	6,205	↑6
55	Philip	6,098	↓2
56	Randy	6,034	↑24
57	Joe	5,824	↓3
58	Glenn	5,803	↑1
59	Keith	5,767	↑19
60	Albert	5,758	↓4
61	Christopher	5,734	↑11
62	Jimmy	5,687	↓7
63	Craig	5,623	↑6
64	Billy	5,610	↓7
65	Eugene	5,580	↓7
66	Randall	5,532	↑4
67	Samuel	5,476	↓5
68	Scott	5,381	↑14
69	Andrew	5,373	↓1
70	Harry	5,303	↓9
71	Barry	5,284	↑3
72	Allen	5,179	↓1
73	Russell	5,175	↓6
74	Howard	5,108	↓11
75	Brian	5,101	↑4
76	Louis	5,089	↓10
77	Bobby	5,006	↓12
78	Frederick	4,984	↓3
79	Phillip	4,910	↓15
80	Leonard	4,738	↓3
81	Martin	4,596	↑4
82	Ronnie	4,530	↓6
83	Ernest	4,382	↓2
84	Rodney	4,296	↑4
85	Francis	4,199	↑1
86	Steve	4,053	↓3
87	Fred	3,994	↓3
88	Melvin	3,837	↓1
89	Eddie	3,748	–
90	Norman	3,729	–
91	Curtis	3,716	↑6
92	Lee	3,682	↓1
93	Eric	3,664	↑5
94	Tommy	3,582	–
95	Earl	3,571	↓3
96	Marvin	3,557	↓3
97	Micheal	3,276	new
98	Clarence	3,232	↓3
99	Theodore	3,216	–
100	Alfred	3,203	↓4

Every name given in 1951

All 10,466 names Social Security recorded for 1951, with their rank and count. Type to filter.

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