Popular baby names in Kentucky, 1955

The most popular baby names in Kentucky in 1955 were Mary for girls (1,310 babies) and James for boys (1,909). James ranked #3 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 70,164 babies born in Kentucky in 1955 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Kentucky in 1955

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

Girls

Opal: 20 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Wilma: 94 babies, 5× the national rate
Freda: 40 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Willa: 18 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Glenna: 31 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Benita: 20 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Ladonna: 20 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Lola: 36 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Saundra: 18 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Patsy: 107 babies, 3.1× the national rate

Boys

Denver: 19 babies, 7.9× the national rate
Shelby: 20 babies, 7.5× the national rate
Denny: 28 babies, 6.6× the national rate
Orville: 21 babies, 6× the national rate
Stevie: 35 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Jackie: 149 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Donnie: 123 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Ernie: 22 babies, 4× the national rate
Dewey: 28 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Timmy: 19 babies, 3.8× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Kentucky, 1955

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1954	US rank
1	Mary	1,310	–	1
2	Deborah	1,216	–	2
3	Linda	1,015	–	3
4	Patricia	886	–	6
5	Debra	811	↑2	4
6	Brenda	718	↓1	18
7	Donna	683	↑1	10
8	Sharon	608	↑2	16
9	Barbara	603	↓3	7
10	Pamela	587	↓1	12
11	Kathy	565	↑2	22
12	Karen	555	↓1	8
13	Sandra	525	↓1	13
14	Susan	464	↑1	5
15	Teresa	444	↑5	26
16	Judy	423	↓2	32
17	Connie	405	↑1	35
18	Nancy	400	↓2	9
19	Carolyn	351	↓2	30
20	Betty	348	↓1	36
21	Janet	337	↑2	20
22	Rebecca	325	↓1	27
23	Wanda	296	↑1	61
24	Carol	291	↑5	15
25	Beverly	288	↑1	34
26	Janice	284	↑10	25
27	Elizabeth	283	↑3	21
28	Sherry	281	↑10	56
29	Vickie	269	↑5	68
30	Cynthia	268	↓3	11
31	Vicki	266	↓3	52
32	Joyce	265	↓10	29
33	Sheila	258	↑4	57
34	Rita	246	↑1	72
35	Martha	245	↓4	53
36	Marilyn	242	↑4	49
37	Paula	242	↑6	39
38	Shirley	235	↓6	37
39	Phyllis	232	–	74
40	Margaret	229	↓15	24
41	Peggy	221	↓8	51
42	Cheryl	214	new	19
43	Theresa	214	new	38
44	Cathy	211	↓2	44
45	Bonnie	205	↓4	45
46	Diane	195	↓2	14
47	Debbie	170	new	63
48	Diana	167	↓1	55
49	Ruth	164	new	70
50	Jo	159	↓2	58

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1954	US rank
1	James	1,909	–	3
2	David	1,501	–	2
3	Michael	1,355	↑1	1
4	William	1,339	↓1	6
5	Robert	1,232	–	4
6	John	1,231	–	5
7	Charles	959	–	11
8	Gary	900	–	12
9	Larry	756	–	19
10	Richard	695	–	7
11	Thomas	647	–	8
12	Kenneth	607	↑2	15
13	Donald	573	↓1	14
14	Joseph	551	↑3	13
15	Mark	549	↑6	9
16	Terry	515	↑3	28
17	Danny	487	↓2	45
18	Steven	482	↑2	10
19	Paul	481	↓1	16
20	Stephen	478	↑2	21
21	Ronald	464	↓5	18
22	Jerry	463	↓9	33
23	Roger	374	–	37
24	Ricky	346	↑4	46
25	George	343	↑1	26
26	Timothy	339	↑8	22
27	Gregory	332	↑3	24
28	Dennis	323	↓4	23
29	Billy	308	↓4	69
30	Bobby	304	↑2	75
31	Daniel	294	–	17
32	Douglas	263	↑4	29
33	Anthony	261	↑2	31
34	Ronnie	260	↓7	80
35	Edward	252	↓6	25
36	Johnny	247	↓3	55
37	Jeffrey	245	↑7	20
38	Phillip	215	↑2	74
39	Harold	213	↓1	63
40	Randy	210	↑8	30
41	Roy	210	↓4	58
42	Bruce	203	–	32
43	Jimmy	196	↓2	78
44	Keith	191	new	39
45	Carl	186	↓6	47
46	Barry	181	↓1	70
47	Darrell	180	↓4	91
48	Steve	159	new	72
49	Randall	155	new	53
50	Jackie	149	↓1	>100

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