Popular baby names of 1959

In 1959, the most popular baby names in the United States were Mary for girls (54,502 babies) and Michael for boys (85,294). Social Security records show 4,157,980 babies with a name given to at least five children of the same sex that year, sharing 7,202 girls' names and 4,572 boys' names.

1959 at a glance

The top 10 girls' names went to 17.9% of girls recorded.
The top 10 boys' names went to 29.4% of boys recorded.
New in the girls' top 100: Kelly, Wendy, Suzanne, Anna, Renee.
New in the boys' top 100: Greg, Bryan, Todd.

Top 100 girls' and boys' names, 1959

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1958
1	Mary	54,502	–
2	Susan	41,617	–
3	Linda	40,410	–
4	Karen	36,784	–
5	Donna	36,468	↑5
6	Patricia	35,223	↓1
7	Debra	31,388	↓1
8	Cynthia	30,186	–
9	Deborah	29,546	↓2
10	Lisa	25,699	↑9
11	Barbara	25,359	↓2
12	Pamela	24,714	↓1
13	Sandra	23,359	↑2
14	Nancy	23,079	↓2
15	Kathy	21,814	↓1
16	Brenda	21,424	–
17	Sharon	21,292	–
18	Cheryl	20,947	↓5
19	Diane	19,972	↓1
20	Debbie	19,540	↑4
21	Elizabeth	18,421	↑1
22	Carol	18,140	↓2
23	Kathleen	17,629	↓2
24	Teresa	17,400	↑2
25	Cindy	16,973	–
26	Julie	16,211	↓3
27	Lori	15,032	↑3
28	Janet	14,964	–
29	Denise	14,662	↓2
30	Laura	14,528	↓1
31	Tammy	13,707	↑13
32	Robin	12,854	–
33	Kimberly	12,790	↑6
34	Theresa	11,656	↓1
35	Kim	11,594	↑5
36	Margaret	11,577	↓5
37	Janice	10,489	↓2
38	Rebecca	10,475	↑3
39	Cathy	10,408	↓5
40	Catherine	10,025	↓2
41	Judy	9,884	↓5
42	Carolyn	9,727	↓5
43	Christine	9,471	–
44	Ann	8,918	↑3
45	Rhonda	8,861	↑3
46	Terri	8,783	↑5
47	Michelle	8,776	↑9
48	Connie	8,655	↑2
49	Diana	8,637	↓4
50	Joyce	8,520	↓4
51	Paula	8,059	↑2
52	Sheila	7,984	↑7
53	Tina	7,919	↑18
54	Dawn	7,898	↑30
55	Beverly	7,796	–
56	Laurie	7,535	↑14
57	Peggy	7,416	↓15
58	Sherry	7,341	↑9
59	Betty	7,313	↓5
60	Valerie	7,302	↑4
61	Shirley	7,284	↓9
62	Maria	7,249	↑3
63	Lynn	7,058	↓3
64	Annette	6,919	↑12
65	Wanda	6,907	↑1
66	Darlene	6,876	↓17
67	Jane	6,864	↓6
68	Angela	6,772	↑15
69	Kathryn	6,746	↓11
70	Judith	6,566	↓8
71	Bonnie	6,456	↓8
72	Martha	6,439	↓3
73	Vicki	6,430	↓16
74	Kelly	6,380	new
75	Gail	6,344	↓3
76	Joan	6,337	↓8
77	Jean	6,233	↓4
78	Jennifer	6,233	↑3
79	Katherine	6,139	↓5
80	Beth	6,069	↑15
81	Gloria	5,924	↓4
82	Anne	5,745	↑5
83	Wendy	5,712	new
84	Leslie	5,652	↓5
85	Amy	5,580	↑12
86	Jill	5,554	↑12
87	Anita	5,474	↓5
88	Rose	5,446	↓10
89	Michele	5,445	↑3
90	Vickie	5,419	↓15
91	Ellen	5,396	↑2
92	Joanne	5,347	↓12
93	Virginia	5,256	↓8
94	Dorothy	5,231	↓8
95	Terry	5,215	↓6
96	Suzanne	5,161	new
97	Ruth	5,057	↓7
98	Rita	4,952	↓10
99	Anna	4,878	new
100	Renee	4,845	new

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1958
1	Michael	85,294	–
2	David	83,977	–
3	James	78,648	–
4	John	76,446	↑1
5	Robert	74,542	↓1
6	Mark	56,945	↑1
7	William	51,386	↓1
8	Richard	47,202	–
9	Thomas	40,296	–
10	Steven	33,597	–
11	Charles	30,797	–
12	Timothy	30,783	↑1
13	Joseph	29,539	↓1
14	Kevin	26,790	↑6
15	Kenneth	26,640	↓1
16	Jeffrey	26,281	↑5
17	Paul	25,712	↓2
18	Daniel	25,155	↓2
19	Donald	23,876	↓1
20	Gary	23,303	↓3
21	Ronald	23,114	↓2
22	Brian	20,737	↑2
23	Gregory	19,889	–
24	Scott	19,765	↑1
25	Larry	18,434	↓3
26	Anthony	17,972	↑1
27	Edward	16,914	↑1
28	Stephen	16,504	↓2
29	Dennis	16,043	–
30	Douglas	15,290	–
31	Randy	15,042	↑1
32	George	15,012	↓1
33	Terry	14,545	–
34	Ricky	13,226	–
35	Christopher	12,915	↑4
36	Jerry	12,324	↓1
37	Mike	11,995	↑3
38	Bruce	11,914	↓2
39	Keith	11,758	↓2
40	Peter	11,289	↑1
41	Steve	11,068	↑3
42	Frank	10,942	↓4
43	Patrick	10,556	↓1
44	Craig	9,933	↑9
45	Raymond	9,796	↓2
46	Eric	9,726	↑4
47	Roger	8,794	–
48	Danny	8,727	↓3
49	Dale	8,343	↓3
50	Alan	8,151	↓1
51	Wayne	7,878	↓3
52	Jeff	7,730	↑16
53	Tony	7,564	↑4
54	Carl	7,501	↓3
55	Jeffery	7,487	↑4
56	Russell	7,480	↓2
57	Joe	7,389	↓1
58	Andrew	7,089	↓3
59	Randall	7,059	↑3
60	Tim	6,826	↑14
61	Gerald	6,636	↓3
62	Lawrence	6,601	↓10
63	Matthew	6,542	↓3
64	Johnny	6,311	↓3
65	Billy	6,308	↓1
66	Walter	6,128	↓3
67	Rodney	5,917	↓2
68	Philip	5,862	↓1
69	Jimmy	5,830	↑4
70	Jim	5,688	↑17
71	Bobby	5,677	↓2
72	Chris	5,676	↑21
73	Barry	5,601	↑6
74	Phillip	5,597	↑7
75	Curtis	5,536	↑7
76	Arthur	5,474	↓4
77	Ronnie	5,474	↓11
78	Willie	5,374	↓8
79	Martin	5,353	↓8
80	Glenn	5,352	↓4
81	Roy	5,183	↓6
82	Tom	5,068	↑14
83	Henry	5,061	–
84	Ralph	5,048	↓6
85	Jack	5,015	↓5
86	Samuel	4,953	↓1
87	Harold	4,943	↓3
88	Jay	4,940	↓2
89	Rick	4,936	↓12
90	Darrell	4,647	–
91	Greg	4,635	new
92	Albert	4,605	↓3
93	Bill	4,596	↑6
94	Bryan	4,488	new
95	Dean	4,425	↑2
96	Micheal	4,369	↓5
97	Allen	4,366	↓5
98	Stanley	4,343	↓10
99	Todd	4,332	new
100	Louis	4,311	↓6

Every name given in 1959

All 11,774 names Social Security recorded for 1959, with their rank and count. Type to filter.

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