Popular baby names in Kentucky, 1956

The most popular baby names in Kentucky in 1956 were Mary for girls (1,245 babies) and James for boys (1,910). James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 69,886 babies born in Kentucky in 1956 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Kentucky in 1956

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

Girls

Jewell: 17 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Glenna: 33 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Wilma: 88 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Freda: 35 babies, 4× the national rate
Dinah: 19 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Shelia: 105 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Marcella: 35 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Rosetta: 20 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Billie: 54 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Vickie: 323 babies, 2.8× the national rate

Boys

Denver: 22 babies, 9.9× the national rate
Stevie: 55 babies, 8.1× the national rate
Kennith: 22 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Orville: 21 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Denny: 23 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Donnie: 138 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Jackie: 142 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Dewey: 28 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Dallas: 28 babies, 4× the national rate
Ernie: 21 babies, 3.8× the national rate

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

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955	US rank
1	Mary	1,245	–	1
2	Deborah	1,102	–	4
3	Linda	903	–	3
4	Debra	812	↑1	2
5	Patricia	766	↓1	6
6	Donna	736	↑1	10
7	Karen	731	↑5	7
8	Sharon	665	–	13
9	Pamela	613	↑1	12
10	Kathy	609	↑1	20
11	Brenda	567	↓5	19
12	Barbara	534	↓3	9
13	Susan	517	↑1	5
14	Teresa	503	↑1	24
15	Sandra	450	↓2	14
16	Nancy	389	↑2	11
17	Judy	361	↓1	35
18	Connie	358	↓1	43
19	Cynthia	348	↑11	8
20	Rebecca	346	↑2	27
21	Janet	333	–	21
22	Betty	331	↓2	44
23	Carolyn	325	↓4	33
24	Vickie	323	↑5	68
25	Carol	283	↓1	16
26	Janice	275	–	26
27	Elizabeth	270	–	22
28	Sheila	265	↑5	55
29	Rita	250	↑5	79
30	Joyce	248	↑2	30
31	Wanda	246	↓8	61
32	Sherry	244	↓4	54
33	Beverly	242	↓8	40
34	Diane	234	↑12	15
35	Debbie	233	↑12	39
36	Cheryl	232	↑6	18
37	Vicki	225	↓6	57
38	Theresa	224	↑5	32
39	Cathy	223	↑5	36
40	Rhonda	215	new	62
41	Shirley	214	↓3	41
42	Margaret	211	↓2	25
43	Peggy	211	↓2	63
44	Paula	208	↓7	47
45	Bonnie	201	–	51
46	Phyllis	194	↓7	82
47	Martha	188	↓12	59
48	Lisa	187	new	31
49	Diana	175	↓1	56
50	Anita	170	new	83

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955	US rank
1	James	1,910	–	2
2	Michael	1,425	↑1	1
3	David	1,403	↓1	4
4	William	1,283	–	6
5	Robert	1,177	–	3
6	John	1,130	–	5
7	Charles	915	–	11
8	Gary	817	–	13
9	Richard	721	↑1	7
10	Mark	697	↑5	8
11	Larry	663	↓2	21
12	Thomas	603	↓1	9
13	Kenneth	593	↓1	16
14	Donald	555	↓1	14
15	Steven	541	↑3	10
16	Joseph	535	↓2	12
17	Terry	517	↓1	31
18	Paul	487	↑1	17
19	Ronald	463	↑2	15
20	Timothy	443	↑6	19
21	Jerry	438	↑1	35
22	Gregory	432	↑5	24
23	Danny	427	↓6	46
24	Stephen	412	↓4	23
25	Ricky	372	↓1	43
26	Roger	361	↓3	41
27	George	318	↓2	27
28	Ronnie	311	↑6	75
29	Dennis	309	↓1	26
30	Jeffrey	302	↑7	20
31	Anthony	298	↑2	30
32	Douglas	297	–	29
33	Billy	290	↓4	68
34	Daniel	268	↓3	18
35	Bobby	256	↓5	77
36	Randy	254	↑4	28
37	Darrell	240	↑10	88
38	Edward	239	↓3	25
39	Bruce	214	↑3	33
40	Harold	208	↓1	72
41	Johnny	202	↓5	55
42	Jimmy	197	↑1	78
43	Carl	193	↑2	48
44	Keith	188	–	36
45	Kevin	188	new	22
46	Phillip	187	↓8	76
47	Roy	187	↓6	62
48	Tony	171	new	85
49	Steve	164	↓1	59
50	Barry	157	↓4	69

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