Popular baby names in Arkansas, 1956

The most popular baby names in Arkansas in 1956 were Mary for girls (641 babies) and James for boys (1,034). James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 39,218 babies born in Arkansas in 1956 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Arkansas in 1956

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

Girls

Delois: 22 babies, 9.7× the national rate
Dorthy: 16 babies, 9.6× the national rate
Erma: 27 babies, 9.3× the national rate
Ruthie: 27 babies, 8.8× the national rate
Ora: 16 babies, 7.6× the national rate
Mae: 25 babies, 5.7× the national rate
Lula: 17 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Bobbie: 60 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Rosie: 48 babies, 5× the national rate
Johnnie: 27 babies, 5× the national rate

Boys

Donny: 18 babies, 8.4× the national rate
Troy: 49 babies, 7.2× the national rate
Travis: 23 babies, 6.2× the national rate
Ronny: 20 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Garland: 16 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Unknown: 25 babies, 5.7× the national rate
Ellis: 22 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Earnest: 38 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Rickey: 163 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Billy: 292 babies, 5.1× the national rate

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

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955	US rank
1	Mary	641	–	1
2	Linda	590	–	3
3	Deborah	522	–	4
4	Debra	490	↑2	2
5	Patricia	453	–	6
6	Brenda	448	↓2	19
7	Sharon	357	↑2	13
8	Barbara	354	↑2	9
9	Donna	307	↓1	10
10	Carolyn	305	↑1	33
11	Sandra	304	↓4	14
12	Karen	303	↑6	7
13	Pamela	287	–	12
14	Cynthia	254	↑8	8
15	Betty	224	↓1	44
16	Shirley	223	↓4	41
17	Susan	222	↓2	5
18	Joyce	220	↓1	30
19	Kathy	210	↓3	20
20	Rebecca	207	↑1	27
21	Teresa	194	↑4	24
22	Janet	178	↑2	21
23	Judy	178	↓4	35
24	Nancy	170	↓4	11
25	Connie	165	↑3	43
26	Janice	165	↓3	26
27	Elizabeth	157	↑5	22
28	Beverly	153	↓1	40
29	Dorothy	149	↑2	72
30	Carol	147	↑7	16
31	Sherry	146	↓1	54
32	Cheryl	142	↑6	18
33	Marilyn	141	↓7	70
34	Vickie	137	↑2	68
35	Martha	136	↓6	59
36	Wanda	135	new	61
37	Diane	132	↑7	15
38	Debbie	130	↑12	39
39	Peggy	128	↓4	63
40	Paula	126	↓7	47
41	Phyllis	123	new	82
42	Vicki	116	↑6	57
43	Margaret	112	↑4	25
44	Cathy	110	↓2	36
45	Gloria	107	↓11	53
46	Doris	106	↓1	>100
47	Rita	104	↓1	79
48	Rose	104	↓9	64
49	Rhonda	100	–	62
50	Helen	98	new	90

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955	US rank
1	James	1,034	–	2
2	David	679	–	4
3	Michael	643	↑2	1
4	Robert	629	↓1	3
5	John	583	↓1	5
6	William	537	↑2	6
7	Charles	499	↓1	11
8	Larry	484	↓1	21
9	Gary	335	–	13
10	Jerry	333	–	35
11	Richard	316	–	7
12	Kenneth	302	–	16
13	Billy	292	–	68
14	Donald	289	–	14
15	Terry	287	↑2	31
16	Randy	260	↑7	28
17	Thomas	257	↓2	9
18	Mark	255	↑8	8
19	Steven	251	↑2	10
20	Danny	245	↓2	46
21	Ronald	243	↑3	15
22	Johnny	239	–	55
23	Jimmy	231	↓4	78
24	Bobby	227	↓4	77
25	Ricky	217	↓9	43
26	Dennis	194	↓1	26
27	Stephen	178	↑3	23
28	Joe	177	↑3	63
29	Paul	177	↓2	17
30	Rickey	163	↑3	>100
31	Ronnie	160	↑1	75
32	Carl	159	↑2	48
33	Willie	152	↓5	58
34	Edward	151	↑1	25
35	Joseph	140	↑1	12
36	Eddie	138	↑4	93
37	Roy	138	↑2	62
38	Tommy	136	–	>100
39	George	135	↓10	27
40	Gregory	124	↑1	24
41	Roger	124	↓4	41
42	Timothy	116	↑1	19
43	Daniel	114	new	18
44	Henry	112	↑1	71
45	Steve	108	new	59
46	Bruce	98	↑4	33
47	Douglas	98	new	29
48	Stanley	95	↑1	70
49	Harold	94	↓7	72
50	Phillip	94	↓6	76

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