Name Awesome

Most Popular Baby Names Of 1955

The 100 most-used girls’ and boys’ names among U.S. births in 1955 — 4,014,099 recorded births in total that year.

19541956 The 1950s as a wholeNames that peaked in 1955

Girls’ names

  1. 1Mary63,1743.2%
  2. 2Deborah52,3182.7%
  3. 3Linda51,3002.6%
  4. 4Debra50,5632.6%
  5. 5Susan47,4182.4%
  6. 6Patricia46,2262.4%
  7. 7Barbara33,6171.7%
  8. 8Karen33,2171.7%
  9. 9Nancy30,0231.5%
  10. 10Donna27,9401.4%
  11. 11Cynthia27,1781.4%
  12. 12Pamela26,6901.4%
  13. 13Sandra25,1121.3%
  14. 14Diane23,2901.2%
  15. 15Carol22,0461.1%
  16. 16Sharon22,0441.1%
  17. 17Kathleen22,0141.1%
  18. 18Brenda19,1141.0%
  19. 19Cheryl19,1111.0%
  20. 20Janet17,9200.9%
  21. 21Elizabeth16,6960.9%
  22. 22Kathy15,3240.8%
  23. 23Denise14,5600.7%
  24. 24Margaret14,4400.7%
  25. 25Janice13,1780.7%
  26. 26Teresa13,1260.7%
  27. 27Rebecca12,3980.6%
  28. 28Catherine11,6360.6%
  29. 29Joyce11,2870.6%
  30. 30Carolyn11,1790.6%
  31. 31Judith10,4360.5%
  32. 32Judy10,3760.5%
  33. 33Robin10,2170.5%
  34. 34Beverly10,0010.5%
  35. 35Connie9,9750.5%
  36. 36Betty9,9240.5%
  37. 37Shirley9,7550.5%
  38. 38Theresa9,6200.5%
  39. 39Paula9,5850.5%
  40. 40Christine9,0420.5%
  41. 41Laura9,0080.5%
  42. 42Gail8,9720.5%
  43. 43Ann8,9160.5%
  44. 44Cathy8,6650.4%
  45. 45Bonnie8,6370.4%
  46. 46Joan8,5570.4%
  47. 47Gloria8,5510.4%
  48. 48Lisa8,5390.4%
  49. 49Marilyn8,4090.4%
  50. 50Jane8,3430.4%
  51. 51Peggy7,9830.4%
  52. 52Vicki7,9750.4%
  53. 53Martha7,9300.4%
  54. 54Rose7,8520.4%
  55. 55Diana7,8470.4%
  56. 56Sherry7,7690.4%
  57. 57Sheila7,6610.4%
  58. 58Jo7,6560.4%
  59. 59Kathryn7,6400.4%
  60. 60Jean7,4800.4%
  61. 61Wanda7,4150.4%
  62. 62Lynn7,3550.4%
  63. 63Debbie7,2540.4%
  64. 64Dorothy7,2420.4%
  65. 65Katherine7,2390.4%
  66. 66Virginia6,8550.4%
  67. 67Julie6,7880.3%
  68. 68Vickie6,6370.3%
  69. 69Maria6,2100.3%
  70. 70Ruth6,1870.3%
  71. 71Rhonda6,1710.3%
  72. 72Rita6,0940.3%
  73. 73Jacqueline6,0410.3%
  74. 74Phyllis5,6890.3%
  75. 75Kim5,6870.3%
  76. 76Darlene5,6410.3%
  77. 77Elaine5,6350.3%
  78. 78Helen5,5920.3%
  79. 79Cindy5,5880.3%
  80. 80Valerie5,5120.3%
  81. 81Ellen5,4710.3%
  82. 82Victoria5,3590.3%
  83. 83Terry5,3530.3%
  84. 84Anne5,2180.3%
  85. 85Terri5,1530.3%
  86. 86Suzanne5,1370.3%
  87. 87Alice5,0790.3%
  88. 88Joanne4,9870.3%
  89. 89Lori4,9760.3%
  90. 90Wendy4,9550.3%
  91. 91Laurie4,9540.3%
  92. 92Marie4,9250.3%
  93. 93Michele4,7680.2%
  94. 94Anita4,7180.2%
  95. 95Sally4,6880.2%
  96. 96Frances4,6410.2%
  97. 97Michelle4,5260.2%
  98. 98Marcia4,4120.2%
  99. 99Leslie4,4050.2%
  100. 100Maureen4,3390.2%

Boys’ names

  1. 1Michael88,3554.3%
  2. 2David86,3064.2%
  3. 3James84,1864.1%
  4. 4Robert83,7584.1%
  5. 5John80,1283.9%
  6. 6William59,9902.9%
  7. 7Richard53,5662.6%
  8. 8Thomas45,8552.2%
  9. 9Mark42,2552.1%
  10. 10Steven37,8471.8%
  11. 11Charles35,3651.7%
  12. 12Gary34,4331.7%
  13. 13Joseph31,5891.5%
  14. 14Donald27,7261.3%
  15. 15Kenneth26,7431.3%
  16. 16Paul26,7011.3%
  17. 17Daniel26,4601.3%
  18. 18Ronald26,1721.3%
  19. 19Larry22,8191.1%
  20. 20Jeffrey22,5331.1%
  21. 21Stephen22,1551.1%
  22. 22Timothy20,7381.0%
  23. 23Dennis20,4361.0%
  24. 24Gregory19,8151.0%
  25. 25Edward19,2800.9%
  26. 26George18,1670.9%
  27. 27Kevin17,1580.8%
  28. 28Terry15,5860.8%
  29. 29Douglas15,3110.7%
  30. 30Randy14,9580.7%
  31. 31Anthony14,1700.7%
  32. 32Bruce14,0820.7%
  33. 33Jerry12,9750.6%
  34. 34Frank11,1090.5%
  35. 35Peter11,0030.5%
  36. 36Raymond10,9940.5%
  37. 37Roger10,9790.5%
  38. 38Scott10,7820.5%
  39. 39Keith10,4180.5%
  40. 40Brian10,1090.5%
  41. 41Patrick9,8690.5%
  42. 42Lawrence9,1280.4%
  43. 43Alan9,0370.4%
  44. 44Wayne8,7280.4%
  45. 45Danny8,7210.4%
  46. 46Ricky8,3290.4%
  47. 47Carl8,2940.4%
  48. 48Gerald8,0720.4%
  49. 49Christopher7,9220.4%
  50. 50Craig7,4480.4%
  51. 51Walter7,2990.4%
  52. 52Dale7,1820.3%
  53. 53Randall6,6880.3%
  54. 54Willie6,6290.3%
  55. 55Johnny6,6200.3%
  56. 56Arthur6,5700.3%
  57. 57Russell6,5390.3%
  58. 58Roy6,3310.3%
  59. 59Glenn6,2580.3%
  60. 60Jack6,2000.3%
  61. 61Henry6,1870.3%
  62. 62Philip6,1620.3%
  63. 63Harold6,0960.3%
  64. 64Stanley6,0500.3%
  65. 65Rodney6,0470.3%
  66. 66Andrew6,0120.3%
  67. 67Ralph5,9650.3%
  68. 68Joe5,8560.3%
  69. 69Billy5,7690.3%
  70. 70Barry5,5990.3%
  71. 71Samuel5,5350.3%
  72. 72Steve5,5090.3%
  73. 73Jeffery5,4660.3%
  74. 74Phillip5,4110.3%
  75. 75Bobby5,2230.3%
  76. 76Albert5,1790.3%
  77. 77Martin5,0680.2%
  78. 78Jimmy5,0360.2%
  79. 79Curtis4,9810.2%
  80. 80Ronnie4,9690.2%
  81. 81Eugene4,7910.2%
  82. 82Louis4,7790.2%
  83. 83Howard4,7460.2%
  84. 84Allen4,7440.2%
  85. 85Eric4,6600.2%
  86. 86Frederick4,5520.2%
  87. 87Micheal4,5300.2%
  88. 88Leonard4,2600.2%
  89. 89Harry4,1390.2%
  90. 90Ernest3,9750.2%
  91. 91Darrell3,9020.2%
  92. 92Eddie3,7810.2%
  93. 93Tony3,7520.2%
  94. 94Marvin3,6590.2%
  95. 95Melvin3,6460.2%
  96. 96Lee3,6070.2%
  97. 97Fred3,5020.2%
  98. 98Kim3,4900.2%
  99. 99Vincent3,4820.2%
  100. 100Francis3,4390.2%

Percentages are each name’s share of all 1955 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.