Popular baby names in Alabama, 1956

The most popular baby names in Alabama in 1956 were Mary for girls (1,246 babies) and James for boys (2,120). James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 76,625 babies born in Alabama in 1956 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Alabama in 1956

Names given at least 15 times in Alabama that year and at least twice as common as in the US as a whole.

Girls

Freddie: 20 babies, 8.1× the national rate
Mattie: 81 babies, 8× the national rate
Unknown: 77 babies, 7.8× the national rate
Bettye: 28 babies, 7.8× the national rate
Pearlie: 22 babies, 7.7× the national rate
Queen: 21 babies, 6.8× the national rate
Fannie: 39 babies, 6.7× the national rate
Annie: 247 babies, 6.4× the national rate
Willie: 102 babies, 6× the national rate
Earnestine: 28 babies, 6× the national rate

Boys

Unknown: 75 babies, 8.7× the national rate
Earnest: 95 babies, 6.9× the national rate
Winfred: 21 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Willie: 701 babies, 5.7× the national rate
Cedric: 29 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Winston: 28 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Roosevelt: 60 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Grady: 35 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Travis: 35 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Lamar: 24 babies, 4.7× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Alabama, 1956

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955	US rank
1	Mary	1,246	–	1
2	Linda	975	–	3
3	Deborah	974	–	4
4	Debra	878	↑1	2
5	Patricia	842	↓1	6
6	Brenda	763	–	19
7	Sharon	619	↑7	13
8	Barbara	606	↓1	9
9	Donna	596	–	10
10	Cynthia	586	↑1	8
11	Pamela	568	↑1	12
12	Kathy	514	↑1	20
13	Sandra	512	↓5	14
14	Karen	484	↑6	7
15	Susan	478	↓5	5
16	Teresa	441	↑2	24
17	Shirley	436	↓2	41
18	Janice	427	↓1	26
19	Wanda	403	↓3	61
20	Carolyn	398	↓1	33
21	Betty	389	–	44
22	Gloria	320	↑5	53
23	Rebecca	311	↑1	27
24	Dorothy	301	↑2	72
25	Carol	298	↑7	16
26	Martha	293	↓3	59
27	Elizabeth	291	↓2	22
28	Nancy	291	–	11
29	Janet	276	–	21
30	Cathy	269	↑7	36
31	Judy	269	↓9	35
32	Rhonda	268	↑11	62
33	Beverly	266	↓3	40
34	Margaret	259	–	25
35	Sherry	257	↑6	54
36	Sheila	249	–	55
37	Annie	247	↓4	>100
38	Cheryl	246	↑6	18
39	Joyce	236	↓8	30
40	Connie	220	↓5	43
41	Diane	210	↓1	15
42	Debbie	206	new	39
43	Shelia	206	↑7	>100
44	Marilyn	204	↓6	70
45	Peggy	203	↓3	63
46	Rita	195	↓1	79
47	Jacqueline	188	↑1	78
48	Catherine	187	new	28
49	Vickie	187	new	68
50	Angela	176	new	93

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955	US rank
1	James	2,120	–	2
2	Michael	1,342	–	1
3	John	1,308	–	5
4	Robert	1,296	–	3
5	William	1,283	–	6
6	David	1,120	–	4
7	Charles	905	–	11
8	Larry	736	–	21
9	Willie	701	–	58
10	Kenneth	640	↑1	16
11	Richard	640	↓1	7
12	Thomas	584	–	9
13	Donald	575	–	14
14	Ronald	565	↑1	15
15	Gary	491	↑1	13
16	Terry	476	↑2	31
17	Jerry	451	↓3	35
18	Johnny	444	↓1	55
19	Randy	444	↑5	28
20	Steven	397	↑5	10
21	Joseph	390	↓2	12
22	Jimmy	377	↓1	78
23	Danny	368	↓1	46
24	George	363	↓4	27
25	Billy	362	↓2	68
26	Bobby	362	↑3	77
27	Timothy	357	↑8	19
28	Ricky	348	↓2	43
29	Gregory	326	↑4	24
30	Dennis	318	↑4	26
31	Mark	318	↓1	8
32	Anthony	314	↓5	30
33	Edward	301	↓1	25
34	Stephen	287	↑4	23
35	Paul	280	↑2	17
36	Ronnie	265	↑4	75
37	Eddie	260	↓9	93
38	Joe	256	↑1	63
39	Roger	246	↓8	41
40	Phillip	243	↓4	76
41	Rickey	238	–	>100
42	Walter	227	↑3	53
43	Carl	223	↑1	48
44	Henry	219	↓2	71
45	Daniel	208	↑2	18
46	Samuel	208	–	74
47	Stanley	206	↑2	70
48	Steve	197	new	59
49	Tony	192	new	85
50	Tommy	184	↓2	>100

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