Names That Peaked In 1961

These names hit their all-time highest U.S. ranking in 1961 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 1960 Peaked in 1962 Full 1961 top 100 The 1960s as a whole

Name & meaning	Babies 2025 · rank	5-year rank movement	Peak year
Brenda	139#1,527	Down 266 rank positions in five years	1957
Jacqueline	541#558	Down 115 rank positions in five years	1964
Teresa	291#911	Down 164 rank positions in five years	1961
Beth	45#3,404	Up 103 rank positions in five years	1961
Jackie	86#2,163	Up 147 rank positions in five years	1961
Greg	21#4,760	Down 574 rank positions in five years	1961
Dwayne	109#1,565	Down 469 rank positions in five years	1961
Belinda	110#1,819	Down 225 rank positions in five years	1961
Jana	181#1,247	Down 185 rank positions in five years	1961
Shari	8#11,776	Up 1,489 rank positions in five years	1961
Clay	515#573	Up 71 rank positions in five years	1960
Chris	—Unranked	—	1961
Chuck	9#8,377	Up 4,017 rank positions in five years	1961
Rusty	58#2,384	Up 1,513 rank positions in five years	1961
Deirdre	13#7,987	Down 983 rank positions in five years	1961
Monty	112#1,543	Up 866 rank positions in five years	1961
Benita	11#8,951	Up 91 rank positions in five years	1961
Lauri	7#12,611	Up 3,866 rank positions in five years	1961
Liz	178#1,259	Up 100 rank positions in five years	1961
Lenny	128#1,419	Up 249 rank positions in five years	1961
Lorri	—Unranked	—	1961
Juliann	9#10,471	Down 1,254 rank positions in five years	1961
Lars	83#1,897	Down 91 rank positions in five years	2000
Juli	15#7,288	new	1961
Mitch	6#11,544	Down 5,033 rank positions in five years	1961
Cherri	—Unranked	—	1961
Jacki	—Unranked	—	1961
Les	11#7,468	Up 384 rank positions in five years	1961
Brook	15#5,893	Up 127 rank positions in five years	1961
Babette	5#15,289	new	1961
Velvet	12#8,822	Up 3,247 rank positions in five years	1961
Troy	—Unranked	—	1961
Brenda	—Unranked	—	1961
Damita	—Unranked	—	1961
Loria	—Unranked	—	1961

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How this list is built

A name “peaked” in 1961 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.