Name Awesome

Most Popular Baby Names Of 1954

The 100 most-used girls’ and boys’ names among U.S. births in 1954 — 3,979,464 recorded births in total that year.

19531955 The 1950s as a wholeNames that peaked in 1954

Girls’ names

  1. 1Mary68,0193.5%
  2. 2Linda55,3712.9%
  3. 3Deborah54,6742.8%
  4. 4Patricia49,1492.5%
  5. 5Susan47,1622.4%
  6. 6Debra45,8962.4%
  7. 7Barbara36,3681.9%
  8. 8Karen32,4561.7%
  9. 9Nancy30,2701.6%
  10. 10Cynthia27,6151.4%
  11. 11Donna27,4291.4%
  12. 12Pamela27,3611.4%
  13. 13Sandra26,0611.3%
  14. 14Kathleen22,4551.2%
  15. 15Carol22,2471.1%
  16. 16Sharon22,2201.1%
  17. 17Diane22,0531.1%
  18. 18Brenda19,6091.0%
  19. 19Janet18,4771.0%
  20. 20Elizabeth16,5840.9%
  21. 21Margaret15,2260.8%
  22. 22Cheryl15,0150.8%
  23. 23Kathy14,1750.7%
  24. 24Denise13,7160.7%
  25. 25Janice13,5050.7%
  26. 26Rebecca13,2080.7%
  27. 27Carolyn12,1530.6%
  28. 28Joyce12,0880.6%
  29. 29Judy11,6320.6%
  30. 30Judith11,1950.6%
  31. 31Beverly11,1550.6%
  32. 32Catherine11,0790.6%
  33. 33Shirley10,9090.6%
  34. 34Teresa10,8410.6%
  35. 35Marilyn10,8140.6%
  36. 36Betty10,6200.5%
  37. 37Gail9,7260.5%
  38. 38Paula9,6860.5%
  39. 39Connie9,6360.5%
  40. 40Joan9,5210.5%
  41. 41Robin9,0440.5%
  42. 42Gloria8,9230.5%
  43. 43Christine8,7880.5%
  44. 44Ann8,7510.5%
  45. 45Laura8,7190.4%
  46. 46Martha8,5960.4%
  47. 47Theresa8,5090.4%
  48. 48Peggy8,4540.4%
  49. 49Jane8,3430.4%
  50. 50Vicki8,2210.4%
  51. 51Kathryn8,1370.4%
  52. 52Bonnie8,0990.4%
  53. 53Jo8,0520.4%
  54. 54Rose7,9960.4%
  55. 55Dorothy7,7890.4%
  56. 56Jean7,6650.4%
  57. 57Diana7,6240.4%
  58. 58Wanda7,4470.4%
  59. 59Cathy7,2070.4%
  60. 60Sheila7,2020.4%
  61. 61Virginia7,1760.4%
  62. 62Sherry7,1200.4%
  63. 63Lynn6,7800.3%
  64. 64Katherine6,7400.3%
  65. 65Maria6,5900.3%
  66. 66Ruth6,5660.3%
  67. 67Rita6,5360.3%
  68. 68Jacqueline6,5220.3%
  69. 69Vickie6,3670.3%
  70. 70Julie6,2750.3%
  71. 71Rhonda6,1000.3%
  72. 72Helen5,9470.3%
  73. 73Lisa5,9130.3%
  74. 74Elaine5,8250.3%
  75. 75Phyllis5,7630.3%
  76. 76Darlene5,5100.3%
  77. 77Ellen5,4570.3%
  78. 78Joanne5,4350.3%
  79. 79Marie5,3100.3%
  80. 80Anne5,2980.3%
  81. 81Alice5,2710.3%
  82. 82Suzanne5,2360.3%
  83. 83Frances5,1530.3%
  84. 84Sally5,0780.3%
  85. 85Victoria4,9780.3%
  86. 86Marsha4,9660.3%
  87. 87Valerie4,9170.3%
  88. 88Terry4,7870.2%
  89. 89Michele4,7630.2%
  90. 90Marcia4,7440.2%
  91. 91Cindy4,7140.2%
  92. 92Debbie4,6640.2%
  93. 93Doris4,4570.2%
  94. 94Michelle4,4320.2%
  95. 95Wendy4,4150.2%
  96. 96Anita4,4080.2%
  97. 97Maureen4,3700.2%
  98. 98Laurie4,2900.2%
  99. 99Leslie4,1470.2%
  100. 100Terri4,1300.2%

Boys’ names

  1. 1Michael88,5684.3%
  2. 2Robert86,3314.2%
  3. 3James86,3114.2%
  4. 4John81,1684.0%
  5. 5David79,5563.9%
  6. 6William61,4263.0%
  7. 7Richard57,0422.8%
  8. 8Thomas47,1592.3%
  9. 9Gary37,9201.9%
  10. 10Charles37,4631.8%
  11. 11Steven36,6281.8%
  12. 12Mark36,1981.8%
  13. 13Joseph31,2211.5%
  14. 14Donald29,2791.4%
  15. 15Ronald27,6251.4%
  16. 16Paul26,2201.3%
  17. 17Kenneth26,1861.3%
  18. 18Daniel25,2751.2%
  19. 19Larry24,6141.2%
  20. 20Stephen21,8781.1%
  21. 21Dennis20,7581.0%
  22. 22Edward19,4931.0%
  23. 23Jeffrey19,0520.9%
  24. 24George18,7040.9%
  25. 25Gregory17,6250.9%
  26. 26Timothy17,4270.9%
  27. 27Terry15,5530.8%
  28. 28Kevin15,3220.8%
  29. 29Douglas14,7030.7%
  30. 30Bruce14,1550.7%
  31. 31Jerry13,6810.7%
  32. 32Anthony13,1240.6%
  33. 33Randy12,6380.6%
  34. 34Roger11,7170.6%
  35. 35Raymond11,2420.6%
  36. 36Frank10,9950.5%
  37. 37Peter10,0850.5%
  38. 38Patrick9,9270.5%
  39. 39Lawrence9,6060.5%
  40. 40Scott9,4570.5%
  41. 41Wayne9,1750.5%
  42. 42Danny9,1030.4%
  43. 43Alan8,7110.4%
  44. 44Gerald8,5520.4%
  45. 45Keith8,3550.4%
  46. 46Ricky8,1640.4%
  47. 47Carl8,1370.4%
  48. 48Brian8,0780.4%
  49. 49Walter7,4860.4%
  50. 50Dale7,4390.4%
  51. 51Craig7,1800.4%
  52. 52Arthur6,8560.3%
  53. 53Willie6,8320.3%
  54. 54Johnny6,6130.3%
  55. 55Randall6,5490.3%
  56. 56Roy6,5130.3%
  57. 57Jack6,4750.3%
  58. 58Stanley6,4480.3%
  59. 59Henry6,4020.3%
  60. 60Harold6,3590.3%
  61. 61Ralph6,3110.3%
  62. 62Philip6,2790.3%
  63. 63Glenn6,2400.3%
  64. 64Christopher6,0840.3%
  65. 65Billy6,0330.3%
  66. 66Rodney5,9590.3%
  67. 67Joe5,8730.3%
  68. 68Barry5,8440.3%
  69. 69Russell5,7610.3%
  70. 70Andrew5,6530.3%
  71. 71Samuel5,6340.3%
  72. 72Bobby5,5070.3%
  73. 73Albert5,4280.3%
  74. 74Jimmy5,3270.3%
  75. 75Phillip5,1490.3%
  76. 76Steve5,0620.2%
  77. 77Eugene5,0330.2%
  78. 78Ronnie4,9780.2%
  79. 79Martin4,9680.2%
  80. 80Howard4,9330.2%
  81. 81Louis4,8480.2%
  82. 82Allen4,8320.2%
  83. 83Frederick4,7430.2%
  84. 84Curtis4,5940.2%
  85. 85Leonard4,4820.2%
  86. 86Harry4,3540.2%
  87. 87Ernest4,2020.2%
  88. 88Micheal4,1780.2%
  89. 89Eric4,1690.2%
  90. 90Jeffery3,9350.2%
  91. 91Eddie3,7660.2%
  92. 92Melvin3,7110.2%
  93. 93Fred3,6950.2%
  94. 94Francis3,6860.2%
  95. 95Darrell3,6430.2%
  96. 96Lee3,5660.2%
  97. 97Marvin3,4980.2%
  98. 98Earl3,4240.2%
  99. 99Norman3,4170.2%
  100. 100Tommy3,4070.2%

Percentages are each name’s share of all 1954 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.