Popular baby names in Missouri, 1956

The most popular baby names in Missouri in 1956 were Mary for girls (1,724 babies) and Michael for boys (2,298). Social Security records list 92,923 babies born in Missouri in 1956 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Missouri in 1956

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

Girls

Geralyn: 26 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Dianna: 78 babies, 2.6× the national rate
Deanna: 65 babies, 2.4× the national rate
Glenda: 169 babies, 2.3× the national rate
Jana: 42 babies, 2.2× the national rate
Marsha: 151 babies, 2× the national rate
Christy: 39 babies, 2× the national rate

Boys

Rickie: 48 babies, 2.4× the national rate
Virgil: 39 babies, 2.4× the national rate
Darrel: 33 babies, 2.3× the national rate
Everett: 35 babies, 2.2× the national rate
Kenny: 37 babies, 2× the national rate

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

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955	US rank
1	Mary	1,724	–	1
2	Deborah	1,367	–	4
3	Linda	1,260	–	3
4	Debra	1,211	–	2
5	Patricia	1,096	–	6
6	Susan	1,036	–	5
7	Karen	1,029	↑1	7
8	Donna	852	↓1	10
9	Pamela	839	↑1	12
10	Cynthia	815	↑4	8
11	Barbara	751	↓2	9
12	Sharon	743	–	13
13	Nancy	681	↓2	11
14	Brenda	653	↑2	19
15	Janet	569	↑2	21
16	Sandra	568	↓1	14
17	Carol	562	↓4	16
18	Cheryl	550	–	18
19	Kathy	451	↑2	20
20	Diane	440	↓1	15
21	Kathleen	435	↓1	17
22	Teresa	429	–	24
23	Connie	380	–	43
24	Rebecca	364	↑2	27
25	Janice	363	↑2	26
26	Joyce	354	↓2	30
27	Denise	337	↓2	23
28	Elizabeth	323	–	22
29	Margaret	303	↑1	25
30	Rhonda	296	new	62
31	Paula	289	–	47
32	Vicki	281	↑5	57
33	Sherry	274	↑1	54
34	Debbie	272	new	39
35	Catherine	266	↑1	28
36	Beverly	264	↓7	40
37	Cathy	262	↑4	36
38	Carolyn	257	↓5	33
39	Lisa	254	new	31
40	Theresa	253	↑5	32
41	Diana	248	↓9	56
42	Laura	244	new	34
43	Robin	244	new	29
44	Judy	242	↓6	35
45	Betty	239	↓3	44
46	Christine	234	↑2	42
47	Sheila	232	↓3	55
48	Kim	227	new	38
49	Shirley	221	↓2	41
50	Peggy	216	↓10	63

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1955	US rank
1	Michael	2,298	–	1
2	James	2,083	↑1	2
3	Robert	1,912	↑1	3
4	David	1,869	↓2	4
5	John	1,862	–	5
6	Mark	1,425	↑2	8
7	William	1,278	↓1	6
8	Richard	1,253	↓1	7
9	Steven	1,171	–	10
10	Thomas	1,007	↑1	9
11	Gary	922	↓1	13
12	Charles	889	–	11
13	Donald	791	–	14
14	Larry	717	↑1	21
15	Dennis	709	↓1	26
16	Ronald	706	–	15
17	Kevin	688	↑8	22
18	Daniel	684	–	18
19	Kenneth	680	↓2	16
20	Stephen	649	↓1	23
21	Paul	606	↑1	17
22	Timothy	587	↑2	19
23	Joseph	575	↓2	12
24	Gregory	574	↓1	24
25	Terry	562	↓5	31
26	Randy	529	–	28
27	Jeffrey	407	↑1	20
28	Jerry	397	↓1	35
29	Douglas	376	↑2	29
30	Keith	350	↑6	36
31	Bruce	327	↑1	33
32	Edward	325	↓3	25
33	George	320	↑1	27
34	Ricky	306	↓1	43
35	Roger	302	↓5	41
36	Anthony	290	↑3	30
37	Danny	273	↓2	46
38	Brian	265	new	32
39	Patrick	245	↓1	40
40	Randall	220	↑3	54
41	Carl	215	↓4	48
42	Russell	214	new	52
43	Scott	213	↑7	34
44	Christopher	209	↑5	47
45	Lawrence	206	↓4	42
46	Gerald	198	↑2	49
47	Dale	195	↓7	50
48	Stanley	191	↓6	70
49	Raymond	189	↓5	39
50	Alan	186	↓4	44

← Missouri 1955 Missouri: all years · US 1956 Missouri 1957 →