Popular baby names of 1956

In 1956, the most popular baby names in the United States were Mary for girls (61,741 babies) and Michael for boys (90,691). Social Security records show 4,123,005 babies with a name given to at least five children of the same sex that year, sharing 6,891 girls' names and 4,455 boys' names.

1956 at a glance

The top 10 girls' names went to 21.4% of girls recorded.
The top 10 boys' names went to 31.5% of boys recorded.
New in the girls' top 100: Kimberly, Tina, Dawn, Angela, Jennifer.
New in the boys' top 100: Matthew, Jay, Victor, Mike, Dean, Rick.

Top 100 girls' and boys' names, 1956

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955
1	Mary	61,741	–
2	Debra	48,324	↑2
3	Linda	48,084	–
4	Deborah	47,834	↓2
5	Susan	46,558	–
6	Patricia	43,329	–
7	Karen	40,052	↑1
8	Cynthia	32,339	↑3
9	Barbara	32,302	↓2
10	Donna	29,852	–
11	Nancy	28,784	↓2
12	Pamela	26,928	–
13	Sharon	26,881	↑3
14	Sandra	24,302	↓1
15	Diane	22,518	↓1
16	Carol	21,408	↓1
17	Kathleen	21,377	–
18	Cheryl	21,278	↑1
19	Brenda	19,341	↓1
20	Kathy	17,177	↑2
21	Janet	16,758	↓1
22	Elizabeth	16,355	↓1
23	Denise	14,509	–
24	Teresa	14,464	↑2
25	Margaret	13,913	↓1
26	Janice	13,017	↓1
27	Rebecca	12,168	–
28	Catherine	12,056	–
29	Robin	11,621	↑4
30	Joyce	11,091	↓1
31	Lisa	11,012	↑17
32	Theresa	10,841	↑6
33	Carolyn	10,634	↓3
34	Laura	10,570	↑7
35	Judy	10,197	↓3
36	Cathy	10,132	↑8
37	Cindy	9,978	↑42
38	Kim	9,897	↑37
39	Debbie	9,863	↑24
40	Beverly	9,449	↓6
41	Shirley	9,429	↓4
42	Christine	9,371	↓2
43	Connie	9,361	↓8
44	Betty	9,218	↓8
45	Judith	9,115	↓14
46	Ann	8,990	↓3
47	Paula	8,925	↓8
48	Julie	8,574	↑19
49	Gail	8,435	↓7
50	Jane	8,241	–
51	Bonnie	8,133	↓6
52	Joan	8,080	↓6
53	Gloria	7,927	↓6
54	Sherry	7,898	↑2
55	Sheila	7,872	↑2
56	Diana	7,851	↓1
57	Vicki	7,767	↓5
58	Lynn	7,736	↑4
59	Martha	7,711	↓6
60	Kathryn	7,594	↓1
61	Wanda	7,546	–
62	Rhonda	7,521	↑9
63	Peggy	7,494	↓12
64	Rose	7,337	↓10
65	Jean	7,175	↓5
66	Lori	7,145	↑23
67	Katherine	7,082	↓2
68	Vickie	6,957	–
69	Jo	6,953	↓11
70	Marilyn	6,926	↓21
71	Darlene	6,919	↑5
72	Dorothy	6,858	↓8
73	Maria	6,733	↓4
74	Kimberly	6,730	new
75	Virginia	6,392	↓9
76	Laurie	6,207	↑15
77	Ruth	6,075	↓7
78	Jacqueline	6,062	↓5
79	Rita	6,054	↓7
80	Valerie	5,909	–
81	Terri	5,744	↑4
82	Phyllis	5,642	↓8
83	Anita	5,505	↑11
84	Ellen	5,432	↓3
85	Victoria	5,388	↓3
86	Anne	5,356	↓2
87	Tina	5,330	new
88	Michelle	5,327	↑9
89	Elaine	5,310	↓12
90	Helen	5,278	↓12
91	Terry	5,272	↓8
92	Dawn	5,128	new
93	Angela	5,034	new
94	Suzanne	5,024	↓8
95	Wendy	4,861	↓5
96	Marie	4,794	↓4
97	Jennifer	4,711	new
98	Alice	4,680	↓11
99	Joanne	4,671	↓11
100	Michele	4,617	↓7

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955
1	Michael	90,691	–
2	James	84,897	↑1
3	Robert	83,924	↑1
4	David	81,652	↓2
5	John	80,804	–
6	William	58,991	–
7	Richard	52,915	–
8	Mark	48,828	↑1
9	Thomas	44,836	↓1
10	Steven	38,413	–
11	Charles	35,239	–
12	Joseph	32,749	↑1
13	Gary	31,842	↓1
14	Donald	28,223	–
15	Ronald	27,725	↑3
16	Kenneth	27,432	↓1
17	Paul	26,897	↓1
18	Daniel	26,655	↓1
19	Timothy	23,288	↑3
20	Jeffrey	23,285	–
21	Larry	22,322	↓2
22	Kevin	21,761	↑5
23	Stephen	21,204	↓2
24	Gregory	21,082	–
25	Edward	19,436	–
26	Dennis	18,359	↓3
27	George	17,232	↓1
28	Randy	16,547	↑2
29	Douglas	16,389	–
30	Anthony	15,565	↑1
31	Terry	15,064	↓3
32	Brian	14,666	↑8
33	Bruce	14,660	↓1
34	Scott	13,214	↑4
35	Jerry	12,623	↓2
36	Keith	11,480	↑3
37	Peter	11,334	↓2
38	Frank	11,151	↓4
39	Raymond	11,108	↓3
40	Patrick	10,326	↑1
41	Roger	10,153	↓4
42	Lawrence	8,898	–
43	Ricky	8,780	↑3
44	Alan	8,734	↓1
45	Wayne	8,717	↓1
46	Danny	8,565	↓1
47	Christopher	8,384	↑2
48	Carl	8,313	↓1
49	Gerald	7,991	↓1
50	Dale	7,720	↑2
51	Craig	7,422	↓1
52	Russell	7,402	↑5
53	Walter	7,019	↓2
54	Randall	6,913	↓1
55	Johnny	6,636	–
56	Andrew	6,603	↑10
57	Jeffery	6,569	↑16
58	Willie	6,525	↓4
59	Steve	6,472	↑13
60	Arthur	6,289	↓4
61	Glenn	6,196	↓2
62	Roy	6,133	↓4
63	Joe	6,124	↑5
64	Philip	6,105	↓2
65	Rodney	6,076	–
66	Jack	6,051	↓6
67	Ralph	6,041	–
68	Billy	6,013	↑1
69	Barry	5,988	↑1
70	Stanley	5,985	↓6
71	Henry	5,971	↓10
72	Harold	5,955	↓9
73	Martin	5,682	↑4
74	Samuel	5,585	↓3
75	Ronnie	5,491	↑5
76	Phillip	5,414	↓2
77	Bobby	5,358	↓2
78	Jimmy	5,345	–
79	Eric	5,252	↑6
80	Curtis	5,157	↓1
81	Albert	5,150	↓5
82	Louis	4,910	–
83	Micheal	4,732	↑4
84	Howard	4,707	↓1
85	Tony	4,669	↑8
86	Eugene	4,620	↓5
87	Allen	4,612	↓3
88	Darrell	4,468	↑3
89	Leonard	4,371	↓1
90	Matthew	4,366	new
91	Frederick	4,306	↓5
92	Jay	4,120	new
93	Eddie	3,994	↓1
94	Ernest	3,952	↓4
95	Harry	3,925	↓6
96	Victor	3,908	new
97	Mike	3,900	new
98	Vincent	3,756	↑1
99	Dean	3,712	new
100	Rick	3,655	new

Every name given in 1956

All 11,346 names Social Security recorded for 1956, with their rank and count. Type to filter.

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