Names That Peaked In 1959

These names hit their all-time highest U.S. ranking in 1959 and have never ranked as high since — the sound of that moment, frozen in the data. (The #1 names that year were Mary and Michael — reigning champions usually peak in a different year than they reign.)

Peaked in 1958 Peaked in 1960 Full 1959 top 100 The 1950s as a whole

Name & meaning	Babies 2025 · rank	5-year rank movement	Peak year
Mark	1,416#245	Down 10 rank positions in five years	1960
Donna	98#1,965	Down 419 rank positions in five years	1959
Valerie	2,221#127	Up 17 rank positions in five years	1959
Steve	105#1,617	Down 364 rank positions in five years	1959
Debbie	24#5,283	Up 851 rank positions in five years	1959
Terri	19#6,302	Down 2,859 rank positions in five years	1959
Becky	36#3,991	Down 366 rank positions in five years	1959
Tim	37#3,229	Up 251 rank positions in five years	1960
Patty	5#16,667	new	1959
Betsy	63#2,724	Down 655 rank positions in five years	1959
Shelia	—Unranked	—	1959
Tami	12#8,811	new	1959
Ron	24#4,360	Down 885 rank positions in five years	1960
Pam	—Unranked	—	1959
Gwen	384#725	Up 98 rank positions in five years	1959
Bret	20#4,882	Up 389 rank positions in five years	1959
Timmy	15#6,104	Down 2,202 rank positions in five years	1960
Bart	—Unranked	—	1959
Layne	414#662	Up 1 rank positions in five years	2021
Tamera	17#6,800	Down 746 rank positions in five years	1959
Tamra	—Unranked	—	1959
Fidel	84#1,875	Down 38 rank positions in five years	2001
Sandi	5#16,847	Down 8,514 rank positions in five years	1959
Venus	96#2,001	Down 432 rank positions in five years	1959
Debby	—Unranked	—	1959
Robbin	—Unranked	—	1959
Stan	7#10,530	Down 2,558 rank positions in five years	1959
Dwain	—Unranked	—	1959
Nicky	8#9,452	Down 2,925 rank positions in five years	1959
Tamela	—Unranked	—	1959
Russ	20#5,007	Up 404 rank positions in five years	1959
Andra	12#8,403	Up 1,911 rank positions in five years	1959
Meg	—Unranked	—	1959
Wally	16#5,836	Up 123 rank positions in five years	1959
Migdalia	9#10,634	Up 1,153 rank positions in five years	1961
Liane	9#10,552	Up 2,356 rank positions in five years	1959
Cyndi	—Unranked	—	1959
Timmie	—Unranked	—	1959
Tamie	—Unranked	—	1959
Lise	—Unranked	—	1959
Walt	35#3,375	Down 494 rank positions in five years	1959
Flint	61#2,293	Down 343 rank positions in five years	1959
Kerwin	5#13,021	Down 3,858 rank positions in five years	1959
Yancy	6#11,931	new	1959
Wayde	48#2,714	Up 261 rank positions in five years	1959
Tari	5#17,017	new	1959
Bev	—Unranked	—	1959
Grayling	—Unranked	—	1959

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How this list is built

A name “peaked” in 1959 when that year holds its best-ever position in the national rankings — rank, not raw count, because raw counts track how many babies were born and would pile every “peak” into the boom years. To qualify, a name must have reached the top 1,000 at its height and have at least 500 all-time applications. Lists are ordered by that peak rank.

Ranks come from U.S. births, counted separately for girls and boys. “Unranked” today means fewer than 5 applications in the latest year — uncommon, never invalid.