Popular baby names in Massachusetts, 1956

The most popular baby names in Massachusetts in 1956 were Susan for girls (2,080 babies) and John for boys (3,300). Susan ranked #5 nationally for girls. John ranked #5 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 107,505 babies born in Massachusetts in 1956 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Massachusetts in 1956

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

Girls

Maura: 41 babies, 6.4× the national rate
Doreen: 281 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Noreen: 53 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Maureen: 470 babies, 4× the national rate
Claire: 99 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Meredith: 28 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Heather: 61 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Joanne: 407 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Lynne: 209 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Jayne: 112 babies, 3× the national rate

Boys

Francis: 322 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Bradford: 70 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Dana: 153 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Laurence: 60 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Peter: 1,014 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Sean: 49 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Gerard: 129 babies, 3× the national rate
Leo: 120 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Denis: 37 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Paul: 1,883 babies, 2.7× the national rate

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

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955	US rank
1	Susan	2,080	–	5
2	Mary	1,969	–	1
3	Patricia	1,602	↑1	6
4	Karen	1,579	↑6	7
5	Donna	1,572	↑1	10
6	Deborah	1,549	↓3	4
7	Linda	1,450	↓2	3
8	Nancy	1,294	↓1	11
9	Debra	1,292	↓1	2
10	Kathleen	1,184	↓1	17
11	Diane	1,005	–	15
12	Cheryl	1,000	↑3	18
13	Cynthia	928	↑3	8
14	Barbara	819	↓2	9
15	Carol	788	↓2	16
16	Elizabeth	730	↓2	22
17	Ann	604	↑4	46
18	Pamela	586	↑1	12
19	Sharon	583	↑7	13
20	Sandra	574	↓2	14
21	Janet	545	↓1	21
22	Denise	514	–	23
23	Judith	507	↓6	45
24	Paula	505	↓1	47
25	Catherine	490	↑4	28
26	Gail	488	↓1	49
27	Margaret	485	↓3	25
28	Maureen	470	↓1	>100
29	Jane	423	↑5	50
30	Jean	416	↑2	65
31	Christine	414	↑2	42
32	Robin	408	↑6	29
33	Joanne	407	↓5	99
34	Joan	405	↓4	52
35	Anne	404	↓4	86
36	Lisa	398	↑3	31
37	Ellen	358	–	84
38	Theresa	334	↑3	32
39	Janice	327	↓4	26
40	Joyce	324	–	30
41	Elaine	310	↓5	89
42	Marie	284	–	96
43	Doreen	281	new	>100
44	Brenda	266	↓1	19
45	Lynn	250	–	58
46	Laurie	249	↑4	76
47	Laura	243	new	34
48	Eileen	238	–	>100
49	Sheila	232	↓5	55
50	Suzanne	229	new	94

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955	US rank
1	John	3,300	–	5
2	Robert	3,231	–	3
3	Michael	3,061	↑1	1
4	David	2,768	↓1	4
5	James	2,427	–	2
6	Richard	2,178	–	7
7	William	2,068	–	6
8	Paul	1,883	–	17
9	Mark	1,726	↑1	8
10	Thomas	1,673	↓1	9
11	Joseph	1,566	↑1	12
12	Stephen	1,479	↓1	23
13	Steven	1,202	–	10
14	Kevin	1,016	↑2	22
15	Peter	1,014	↓1	37
16	Brian	987	↑6	32
17	Daniel	898	–	18
18	Edward	876	↓3	25
19	Gary	821	↓1	13
20	Charles	814	↓1	11
21	Donald	743	↓1	14
22	Kenneth	725	↓1	16
23	Jeffrey	654	–	20
24	Ronald	627	–	15
25	George	555	–	27
26	Bruce	509	–	33
27	Timothy	471	↑1	19
28	Scott	430	↑6	34
29	Wayne	419	–	45
30	Alan	398	–	44
31	Christopher	387	↑1	47
32	Anthony	385	↓1	30
33	Dennis	373	↓6	26
34	Douglas	366	↑3	29
35	Raymond	356	↓2	39
36	Lawrence	334	–	42
37	Philip	334	↑2	64
38	Francis	322	↓3	>100
39	Frank	315	↓1	38
40	Gregory	305	↑1	24
41	Arthur	259	↓1	60
42	Keith	238	–	36
43	Russell	238	new	52
44	Andrew	237	↑5	56
45	Patrick	231	↑2	40
46	Gerald	225	↓2	49
47	Barry	210	↑1	69
48	Roger	199	↓2	41
49	Frederick	192	↓6	91
50	Glenn	187	–	61

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