Popular baby names in Massachusetts, 1961

The most popular baby names in Massachusetts in 1961 were Susan for girls (1,747 babies) and John for boys (3,610). Susan ranked #3 nationally for girls. John ranked #3 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 111,388 babies born in Massachusetts in 1961 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Massachusetts in 1961

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: 82 babies, 8.4× the national rate
Annemarie: 43 babies, 6.4× the national rate
Maryellen: 61 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Annmarie: 47 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Laureen: 38 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Maureen: 513 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Joanne: 482 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Doreen: 191 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Lynne: 243 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Lauren: 128 babies, 3.8× the national rate

Boys

Francis: 264 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Dana: 165 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Peter: 926 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Sean: 140 babies, 3× the national rate
Bradford: 47 babies, 3× the national rate
Edmund: 41 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Stephen: 1,230 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Laurence: 40 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Gerard: 93 babies, 2.6× the national rate
Leo: 79 babies, 2.5× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Massachusetts, 1961

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1960	US rank
1	Susan	1,747	–	3
2	Mary	1,557	–	1
3	Lisa	1,555	↑4	2
4	Donna	1,308	↓1	7
5	Linda	1,305	–	4
6	Karen	1,254	↓2	5
7	Patricia	1,151	↓1	6
8	Kathleen	1,068	–	29
9	Nancy	1,058	–	16
10	Deborah	969	–	10
11	Cheryl	864	↑1	20
12	Diane	801	↓1	26
13	Elizabeth	751	↑1	19
14	Barbara	669	↑1	12
15	Debra	663	↓2	13
16	Carol	632	↑1	24
17	Pamela	628	↑3	15
18	Sandra	622	–	9
19	Cynthia	606	↓3	8
20	Christine	588	↑1	39
21	Sharon	561	↑4	17
22	Robin	560	↑1	27
23	Brenda	547	↑5	11
24	Denise	543	↓2	30
25	Laura	537	↓1	21
26	Ann	530	↓7	54
27	Laurie	530	↑2	43
28	Maureen	513	↑3	>100
29	Lori	504	↑9	14
30	Theresa	484	↑3	35
31	Joanne	482	↓5	>100
32	Michelle	480	↑3	34
33	Paula	462	↓6	60
34	Janet	436	↑2	32
35	Judith	425	↓5	83
36	Margaret	408	↑1	40
37	Catherine	407	↓5	48
38	Anne	377	↓4	90
39	Julie	365	↑3	23
40	Ellen	352	↑3	97
41	Jean	341	↓1	92
42	Jane	340	↓3	72
43	Carolyn	320	new	42
44	Jacqueline	305	new	37
45	Suzanne	305	↑4	68
46	Joan	304	↓1	89
47	Wendy	295	new	61
48	Kimberly	294	↓2	22
49	Kim	288	↓8	36
50	Lynn	282	–	71

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1960	US rank
1	John	3,610	–	3
2	Michael	3,299	–	1
3	Robert	3,006	↑1	5
4	David	2,951	↓1	2
5	James	2,564	–	4
6	Mark	2,033	–	6
7	Richard	1,900	–	8
8	William	1,786	–	7
9	Paul	1,675	–	18
10	Thomas	1,572	–	9
11	Joseph	1,453	–	12
12	Stephen	1,230	–	27
13	Steven	1,113	–	10
14	Kevin	1,094	–	14
15	Daniel	1,045	↑1	17
16	Brian	1,007	↓1	20
17	Peter	926	–	42
18	Scott	886	↑1	19
19	Edward	854	↑1	29
20	Jeffrey	833	↓2	11
21	Christopher	808	↑2	26
22	Kenneth	729	↓1	16
23	Timothy	723	↑1	15
24	Charles	653	↓2	13
25	Gary	593	↑1	21
26	Donald	587	↓1	22
27	Ronald	533	–	24
28	George	483	–	31
29	Anthony	469	–	25
30	Douglas	422	↑2	28
31	Bruce	389	↓1	40
32	Gregory	371	↑3	23
33	Andrew	335	↓2	52
34	Raymond	325	↓1	48
35	Alan	322	↑3	51
36	Eric	319	↑3	38
37	Dennis	318	↓3	34
38	Frank	309	↑2	41
39	Wayne	301	↓3	61
40	Philip	299	↓3	79
41	Patrick	291	↑3	39
42	Keith	284	↑3	35
43	Glenn	280	↑4	64
44	Matthew	277	↓2	59
45	Francis	264	↓2	>100
46	Lawrence	239	↓5	67
47	Russell	224	↑2	55
48	Craig	206	↓2	43
49	Arthur	203	↓1	85
50	Barry	197	new	66

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