Name Awesome

Most Popular Baby Names Of 1953

The 100 most-used girls’ and boys’ names among U.S. births in 1953 — 3,852,460 recorded births in total that year.

19521954 The 1950s as a wholeNames that peaked in 1953

Girls’ names

  1. 1Mary64,3893.4%
  2. 2Linda61,2813.3%
  3. 3Deborah52,1992.8%
  4. 4Patricia51,0192.7%
  5. 5Susan44,2972.4%
  6. 6Barbara38,4732.0%
  7. 7Debra36,8562.0%
  8. 8Nancy30,6201.6%
  9. 9Karen29,8581.6%
  10. 10Pamela25,7601.4%
  11. 11Sandra25,5001.4%
  12. 12Cynthia25,1401.3%
  13. 13Donna24,2271.3%
  14. 14Kathleen23,7311.3%
  15. 15Sharon23,0401.2%
  16. 16Carol22,2901.2%
  17. 17Diane21,3511.1%
  18. 18Brenda20,1221.1%
  19. 19Janet17,7710.9%
  20. 20Margaret16,1950.9%
  21. 21Elizabeth16,0990.9%
  22. 22Janice14,6270.8%
  23. 23Kathy13,4000.7%
  24. 24Rebecca12,9590.7%
  25. 25Carolyn12,9190.7%
  26. 26Joyce12,7960.7%
  27. 27Judy12,7350.7%
  28. 28Cheryl12,2640.7%
  29. 29Shirley12,1480.6%
  30. 30Judith11,9690.6%
  31. 31Denise11,9500.6%
  32. 32Christine11,7930.6%
  33. 33Betty11,3690.6%
  34. 34Beverly11,2400.6%
  35. 35Catherine10,8490.6%
  36. 36Marilyn10,7420.6%
  37. 37Joan9,7740.5%
  38. 38Gloria9,6800.5%
  39. 39Gail9,5850.5%
  40. 40Paula9,5570.5%
  41. 41Martha9,2630.5%
  42. 42Teresa8,9320.5%
  43. 43Jane8,9130.5%
  44. 44Peggy8,7620.5%
  45. 45Bonnie8,6150.5%
  46. 46Ann8,5790.5%
  47. 47Connie8,5750.5%
  48. 48Kathryn8,3240.4%
  49. 49Dorothy8,1620.4%
  50. 50Theresa7,7150.4%
  51. 51Laura7,6280.4%
  52. 52Jean7,5710.4%
  53. 53Virginia7,5460.4%
  54. 54Jo7,5130.4%
  55. 55Diana7,4380.4%
  56. 56Cathy7,3010.4%
  57. 57Wanda7,2030.4%
  58. 58Jacqueline7,1280.4%
  59. 59Rose7,0040.4%
  60. 60Sheila6,9650.4%
  61. 61Vicki6,8210.4%
  62. 62Ruth6,5820.3%
  63. 63Katherine6,5590.3%
  64. 64Rita6,2840.3%
  65. 65Helen6,1230.3%
  66. 66Robin6,0370.3%
  67. 67Lynn5,9970.3%
  68. 68Maria5,9920.3%
  69. 69Phyllis5,9610.3%
  70. 70Sherry5,9350.3%
  71. 71Joanne5,8900.3%
  72. 72Frances5,7860.3%
  73. 73Alice5,7400.3%
  74. 74Julie5,6680.3%
  75. 75Darlene5,5910.3%
  76. 76Ellen5,5370.3%
  77. 77Elaine5,4960.3%
  78. 78Suzanne5,4720.3%
  79. 79Vickie5,2970.3%
  80. 80Anne5,2560.3%
  81. 81Sally5,1830.3%
  82. 82Victoria5,1640.3%
  83. 83Marsha5,1310.3%
  84. 84Marcia5,0620.3%
  85. 85Rhonda5,0290.3%
  86. 86Marie4,9550.3%
  87. 87Doris4,9000.3%
  88. 88Valerie4,5910.2%
  89. 89Anita4,4070.2%
  90. 90Roberta4,2990.2%
  91. 91Lois4,2190.2%
  92. 92Maureen4,1120.2%
  93. 93Sarah4,0860.2%
  94. 94Evelyn4,0640.2%
  95. 95Constance4,0300.2%
  96. 96Leslie3,9040.2%
  97. 97Jeanne3,8530.2%
  98. 98Anna3,8370.2%
  99. 99Cindy3,8250.2%
  100. 100Charlotte3,8130.2%

Boys’ names

  1. 1Robert86,2434.4%
  2. 2James86,0664.4%
  3. 3Michael84,1984.3%
  4. 4John80,1654.1%
  5. 5David76,1193.9%
  6. 6William61,8293.1%
  7. 7Richard58,3893.0%
  8. 8Thomas47,0082.4%
  9. 9Charles38,4211.9%
  10. 10Gary36,9671.9%
  11. 11Steven33,7211.7%
  12. 12Mark29,3411.5%
  13. 13Joseph29,2691.5%
  14. 14Donald28,3611.4%
  15. 15Ronald27,7131.4%
  16. 16Paul25,5091.3%
  17. 17Kenneth25,5071.3%
  18. 18Larry25,2081.3%
  19. 19Dennis23,6581.2%
  20. 20Daniel23,4981.2%
  21. 21Stephen21,8071.1%
  22. 22George19,1761.0%
  23. 23Edward18,9841.0%
  24. 24Gregory16,1600.8%
  25. 25Jeffrey15,9490.8%
  26. 26Timothy15,1870.8%
  27. 27Douglas14,1380.7%
  28. 28Bruce14,0480.7%
  29. 29Jerry13,9010.7%
  30. 30Terry13,2590.7%
  31. 31Roger13,1720.7%
  32. 32Anthony11,6930.6%
  33. 33Frank11,1800.6%
  34. 34Raymond11,1100.6%
  35. 35Randy10,6660.5%
  36. 36Kevin10,0110.5%
  37. 37Lawrence9,8560.5%
  38. 38Peter9,7290.5%
  39. 39Patrick9,4680.5%
  40. 40Wayne8,9050.5%
  41. 41Danny8,6270.4%
  42. 42Gerald8,6190.4%
  43. 43Alan8,4540.4%
  44. 44Carl7,8290.4%
  45. 45Walter7,5090.4%
  46. 46Scott7,4890.4%
  47. 47Keith7,3750.4%
  48. 48Dale7,3500.4%
  49. 49Willie7,0560.4%
  50. 50Arthur7,0010.4%
  51. 51Ricky6,8870.3%
  52. 52Johnny6,7170.3%
  53. 53Brian6,6650.3%
  54. 54Henry6,6620.3%
  55. 55Roy6,6550.3%
  56. 56Harold6,5800.3%
  57. 57Jack6,5400.3%
  58. 58Rodney6,5360.3%
  59. 59Ralph6,5130.3%
  60. 60Craig6,4590.3%
  61. 61Philip6,2790.3%
  62. 62Stanley6,2750.3%
  63. 63Christopher6,0810.3%
  64. 64Randall5,9730.3%
  65. 65Billy5,8560.3%
  66. 66Joe5,7970.3%
  67. 67Glenn5,7260.3%
  68. 68Andrew5,6260.3%
  69. 69Albert5,4390.3%
  70. 70Samuel5,4230.3%
  71. 71Russell5,3740.3%
  72. 72Jimmy5,3100.3%
  73. 73Barry5,1820.3%
  74. 74Bobby5,1790.3%
  75. 75Eugene5,1470.3%
  76. 76Phillip5,1030.3%
  77. 77Howard4,9850.3%
  78. 78Louis4,9850.3%
  79. 79Ronnie4,9700.3%
  80. 80Frederick4,8650.2%
  81. 81Allen4,8540.2%
  82. 82Martin4,7780.2%
  83. 83Harry4,5800.2%
  84. 84Steve4,5390.2%
  85. 85Leonard4,4120.2%
  86. 86Curtis4,3530.2%
  87. 87Ernest4,0950.2%
  88. 88Micheal3,9870.2%
  89. 89Eric3,9290.2%
  90. 90Francis3,8750.2%
  91. 91Melvin3,8110.2%
  92. 92Fred3,7890.2%
  93. 93Lee3,5830.2%
  94. 94Marvin3,5640.2%
  95. 95Tommy3,4690.2%
  96. 96Earl3,4370.2%
  97. 97Eddie3,4170.2%
  98. 98Norman3,3720.2%
  99. 99Jay3,2350.2%
  100. 100Vincent3,1740.2%

Percentages are each name’s share of all 1953 applications for that sex — a useful reminder of how much more concentrated naming used to be. In 1880 the top girls’ name alone accounted for several percent of all girls; today the #1 name is well under one percent.

Counts are based on U.S. births and are tracked separately for girls and boys. Names used fewer than 5 times in a year aren’t published for that year, so totals here are a floor — the shortfall is largest in the sparse early years.