Popular baby names in Indiana, 1956

The most popular baby names in Indiana in 1956 were Debra for girls (1,672 babies) and Michael for boys (2,696). Debra ranked #2 nationally for girls. Social Security records list 105,775 babies born in Indiana in 1956 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Indiana in 1956

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

Girls

Tonya: 58 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Beth: 250 babies, 2.6× the national rate
Penny: 139 babies, 2.4× the national rate
Marla: 91 babies, 2.4× the national rate
Lora: 41 babies, 2.4× the national rate
Jerri: 27 babies, 2.4× the national rate
Dianna: 78 babies, 2.3× the national rate
Karla: 77 babies, 2.2× the national rate
Marcia: 220 babies, 2.1× the national rate
Joni: 82 babies, 2.1× the national rate

Boys

Rex: 121 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Dewayne: 29 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Max: 55 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Kent: 130 babies, 2.3× the national rate
Rickie: 53 babies, 2.3× the national rate
Jan: 30 babies, 2.3× the national rate
Jeffery: 375 babies, 2.2× the national rate
Rick: 201 babies, 2.1× the national rate
Kim: 162 babies, 2.1× the national rate
Robin: 125 babies, 2.1× the national rate

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

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955	US rank
1	Debra	1,672	–	2
2	Mary	1,491	–	1
3	Deborah	1,288	–	4
4	Linda	1,176	–	3
5	Karen	1,148	↑2	7
6	Pamela	1,098	–	12
7	Susan	1,091	↓2	5
8	Cynthia	971	↑2	8
9	Patricia	930	↓1	6
10	Nancy	752	↓1	11
11	Barbara	733	–	9
12	Kathy	724	↑5	20
13	Donna	722	–	10
14	Cheryl	694	↑2	18
15	Brenda	666	–	19
16	Sharon	647	↑5	13
17	Teresa	629	↑3	24
18	Sandra	627	↓6	14
19	Rebecca	618	↓5	27
20	Carol	597	↓1	16
21	Janet	565	↓3	21
22	Diane	451	–	15
23	Connie	428	↑1	43
24	Kathleen	417	↓1	17
25	Cathy	414	↑2	36
26	Diana	398	–	56
27	Elizabeth	392	↓2	22
28	Denise	354	–	23
29	Theresa	350	↑11	32
30	Lisa	349	↑6	31
31	Rhonda	345	↑14	62
32	Cindy	333	new	37
33	Janice	333	↓4	26
34	Joyce	320	↑7	30
35	Vicki	319	↓4	57
36	Peggy	316	↓1	63
37	Kimberly	299	new	74
38	Jane	296	↓8	50
39	Judith	289	↓5	45
40	Vickie	288	↓7	68
41	Julie	287	new	48
42	Sherry	287	↓5	54
43	Debbie	284	new	39
44	Laura	282	new	34
45	Paula	282	↓13	47
46	Robin	274	↑4	29
47	Kim	271	new	38
48	Catherine	266	↓4	28
49	Beverly	263	↓7	40
50	Terri	263	↓12	81

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955	US rank
1	Michael	2,696	↑1	1
2	David	2,505	↓1	4
3	James	2,315	–	2
4	Robert	2,089	–	3
5	John	1,962	–	5
6	Mark	1,812	–	8
7	William	1,458	–	6
8	Richard	1,388	↑1	7
9	Steven	1,231	↓1	10
10	Thomas	1,158	–	9
11	Timothy	1,007	↑5	19
12	Jeffrey	990	↑1	20
13	Charles	962	↓1	11
14	Gary	926	↓3	13
15	Donald	874	↓1	14
16	Gregory	867	↑1	24
17	Daniel	843	↓2	18
18	Ronald	835	↑1	15
19	Kevin	832	↑7	22
20	Larry	768	–	21
21	Kenneth	746	↑1	16
22	Dennis	728	↓4	26
23	Joseph	718	↑2	12
24	Terry	717	↓3	31
25	Paul	632	↓2	17
26	Randy	618	↑1	28
27	Stephen	574	↓3	23
28	Douglas	530	↑1	29
29	Jerry	489	↓1	35
30	Bruce	473	–	33
31	Brian	419	↑14	32
32	Roger	409	↓1	41
33	Edward	387	↓1	25
34	Jeffery	375	↑6	57
35	Anthony	348	↑4	30
36	Keith	339	↓3	36
37	Randall	338	↓2	54
38	George	337	↓4	27
39	Scott	328	↓1	34
40	Danny	311	↓3	46
41	Ricky	304	↓5	43
42	Patrick	276	–	40
43	Dale	262	–	50
44	Phillip	239	↑3	76
45	Jack	237	↓4	66
46	Raymond	228	↓2	39
47	Gerald	226	↑3	49
48	Christopher	215	new	47
49	Carl	213	↓3	48
50	Rick	201	↓1	100

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