Popular baby names in Mississippi, 1956

The most popular baby names in Mississippi in 1956 were Mary for girls (1,226 babies) and James for boys (1,634). James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 55,336 babies born in Mississippi in 1956 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Mississippi in 1956

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

Girls

Earlean: 16 babies, 28.5× the national rate
Myrtis: 15 babies, 23.9× the national rate
Earnestine: 60 babies, 17.5× the national rate
Essie: 43 babies, 15.2× the national rate
Ora: 40 babies, 13.3× the national rate
Minnie: 86 babies, 13× the national rate
Joe: 34 babies, 13× the national rate
Bettye: 34 babies, 12.9× the national rate
Rosie: 172 babies, 12.7× the national rate
Willie: 158 babies, 12.7× the national rate

Boys

Tommie: 99 babies, 15× the national rate
Booker: 23 babies, 14.8× the national rate
Percy: 59 babies, 13.7× the national rate
Sammie: 52 babies, 11.9× the national rate
Otha: 15 babies, 11.7× the national rate
Roosevelt: 82 babies, 10× the national rate
Willie: 853 babies, 9.7× the national rate
Jessie: 136 babies, 9.6× the national rate
Odell: 20 babies, 9.5× the national rate
Will: 24 babies, 9.3× the national rate

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

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955	US rank
1	Mary	1,226	–	1
2	Linda	822	–	3
3	Patricia	610	↑1	6
4	Deborah	551	↓1	4
5	Brenda	502	↑1	19
6	Debra	502	↑4	2
7	Barbara	474	↓2	9
8	Shirley	471	↓1	41
9	Dorothy	428	–	72
10	Betty	379	↓2	44
11	Sandra	375	↑1	14
12	Carolyn	343	↓1	33
13	Annie	328	–	>100
14	Cynthia	310	↑3	8
15	Gloria	302	↓1	53
16	Sharon	278	↑18	13
17	Pamela	274	↑4	12
18	Donna	262	–	10
19	Martha	261	–	59
20	Janice	260	–	26
21	Joyce	246	↓6	30
22	Wanda	241	↑7	61
23	Susan	238	↓7	5
24	Nancy	228	↑4	11
25	Elizabeth	221	↑1	22
26	Judy	205	↓3	35
27	Kathy	202	↓5	20
28	Beverly	192	↑4	40
29	Marilyn	192	↓2	70
30	Karen	190	↑6	7
31	Diane	186	–	15
32	Margaret	184	↓8	25
33	Rebecca	182	↓8	27
34	Janet	180	↑10	21
35	Rosie	172	↓2	>100
36	Doris	168	↓6	>100
37	Helen	166	new	90
38	Ruby	166	↓3	>100
39	Bobbie	165	↑8	>100
40	Teresa	159	↑1	24
41	Willie	158	↓4	>100
42	Alice	155	↓3	98
43	Cathy	151	↑5	36
44	Jo	141	↓2	69
45	Rose	140	↓2	64
46	Sherry	140	↓8	54
47	Catherine	135	↓2	28
48	Cheryl	129	new	18
49	Gwendolyn	129	↑1	>100
50	Peggy	127	↓10	63

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955	US rank
1	James	1,634	–	2
2	Robert	1,146	–	3
3	John	927	–	5
4	Charles	875	–	11
5	Willie	853	–	58
6	William	796	–	6
7	Larry	716	–	21
8	David	705	–	4
9	Michael	705	–	1
10	Thomas	434	↑3	9
11	Jerry	388	↓1	35
12	Richard	380	–	7
13	Kenneth	348	↑2	16
14	Donald	329	↑4	14
15	Bobby	325	↑8	77
16	Johnny	320	↓2	55
17	George	319	↓6	27
18	Billy	301	↓2	68
19	Eddie	298	↓2	93
20	Joseph	283	↑1	12
21	Jimmy	279	↑4	78
22	Ronald	257	↑8	15
23	Terry	244	↓3	31
24	Edward	243	↑2	25
25	Henry	243	↓6	71
26	Joe	243	↓4	63
27	Gary	222	↓3	13
28	Walter	213	–	53
29	Danny	202	–	46
30	Randy	188	↑1	28
31	Carl	183	↑4	48
32	Paul	182	↓5	17
33	Roy	169	↓1	62
34	Mark	165	↑6	8
35	Tommy	165	↑4	>100
36	Steven	164	↑14	10
37	Ricky	163	↑1	43
38	Ronnie	162	↑11	75
39	Melvin	158	↓6	>100
40	Dennis	157	↓6	26
41	Frank	154	↓4	38
42	Gregory	154	new	24
43	Anthony	146	new	30
44	Albert	144	↓1	81
45	Roger	144	new	41
46	Curtis	142	↓10	80
47	Timothy	141	new	19
48	Arthur	137	↓7	60
49	Jimmie	137	↓2	>100
50	Jessie	136	↓2	>100

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