Birth year roster

Top names in 1951

Name: Top baby names in 1951
Creator: Social Security Administration

The 100 most common names on 1951 birth certificates, for girls and boys, ranked by SSA records.

Linda and James led the 1951 baby-name charts, the top names among baby boom births. Linda was the #1 girls’ name for 6 years in all (1947–1952); James was the #1 boys’ name for 13 years in all (1940–1952). Of the 200 names below, 157 are now endangered or extinct; the tag on each shows where it stands today.

Explore the 1950s decade

Girls

#1Linda Endangered73,982
#2Mary Endangered65,721
#3Patricia Endangered56,446
#4Deborah Endangered42,053
#5Barbara Endangered40,617
#6Susan Endangered40,228
#7Nancy Endangered30,346
#8Karen Endangered27,998
#9Sandra Endangered27,665
#10Kathleen Endangered26,716
#11Carol Endangered24,781
#12Donna Endangered24,074
#13Sharon Endangered23,920
#14Brenda Endangered21,717
#15Diane Endangered19,840
#16Pamela Endangered18,570
#17Margaret Endangered17,692
#18Debra Endangered17,064
#19Janet Endangered16,947
#20Cynthia Endangered16,295
#21Janice Endangered15,958
#22Carolyn Endangered15,206
#23Elizabeth Stable15,118
#24Christine Endangered15,017
#25Judith Endangered14,935
#26Judy Endangered14,017
#27Shirley Endangered13,919
#28Joyce Endangered13,472
#29Betty Endangered12,822
#30Cheryl Endangered11,986
#31Gloria Endangered10,951
#32Rebecca Endangered10,932
#33Beverly Endangered10,860
#34Catherine Endangered10,566
#35Kathy Endangered10,406
#36Gail Endangered9,886
#37Bonnie Endangered9,706
#38Martha Endangered9,605
#39Joan Endangered9,403
#40Peggy Endangered9,208
#41Marilyn Endangered9,148
#42Dorothy Endangered9,089
#43Jane Stable8,942
#44Connie Endangered8,722
#45Kathryn Endangered8,460
#46Ann Endangered8,423
#47Virginia Endangered8,180
#48Denise Endangered8,116
#49Jean Endangered7,627
#50Diana Stable7,396
#51Paula Endangered7,290
#52Wanda Endangered7,233
#53Ruth Endangered7,076
#54Helen Endangered6,949
#55Katherine Declining6,930
#56Jacqueline Endangered6,915
#57Phyllis Endangered6,791
#58Vicki Declining6,630
#59Frances Endangered6,584
#60Laura Endangered6,466
#61Rita Endangered6,415
#62Alice Stable6,315
#63Teresa Endangered6,213
#64Theresa Endangered6,190
#65Rose Stable6,185
#66Elaine Rising6,069
#67Jo Endangered6,001
#68Ellen Endangered5,945
#69Sheila Endangered5,897
#70Sherry Endangered5,889
#71Cathy Endangered5,697
#72Lynn Endangered5,629
#73Joanne Endangered5,358
#74Marcia Endangered5,299
#75Maria Stable5,236
#76Marsha Endangered5,188
#77Sally Endangered5,138
#78Marie Endangered5,046
#79Darlene Endangered5,030
#80Doris Endangered5,025
#81Victoria Declining4,907
#82Anne Endangered4,873
#83Suzanne Endangered4,828
#84Charlotte Stable4,649
#85Lois Endangered4,533
#86Constance Endangered4,367
#87Vickie Declining4,320
#88Evelyn Stable4,232
#89Glenda Endangered4,135
#90Dianne Endangered4,034
#91Sarah Endangered4,028
#92Roberta Endangered3,979
#93Maureen Endangered3,878
#94Anna Declining3,870
#95Eileen Stable3,816
#96Anita Endangered3,785
#97Sylvia Rising3,777
#98Jeanne Endangered3,768
#99Julie Endangered3,686
#100Valerie Stable3,559

Boys

#1James Stable87,256
#2Robert Endangered86,353
#3John Past peak81,569
#4Michael Past peak72,807
#5David Past peak64,788
#6William Declining62,781
#7Richard Endangered54,541
#8Thomas Stable48,275
#9Charles Stable39,406
#10Gary Endangered38,160
#11Larry Endangered30,558
#12Ronald Endangered29,049
#13Steven Endangered28,363
#14Joseph Declining28,147
#15Donald Endangered27,916
#16Kenneth Endangered25,841
#17Dennis Endangered24,264
#18Paul Endangered22,853
#19Stephen Endangered22,474
#20Mark Endangered21,201
#21Daniel Declining21,121
#22George Stable20,212
#23Edward Endangered19,913
#24Jerry Endangered15,164
#25Gregory Endangered14,102
#26Bruce Endangered14,090
#27Douglas Endangered13,902
#28Timothy Endangered12,705
#29Roger Endangered12,425
#30Terry Endangered12,216
#31Frank Endangered11,477
#32Raymond Endangered11,227
#33Lawrence Endangered10,266
#34Anthony Declining9,836
#35Jeffrey Endangered9,713
#36Gerald Endangered9,539
#37Wayne Endangered9,327
#38Peter Stable8,999
#39Patrick Declining8,751
#40Alan Stable8,408
#41Danny Endangered8,179
#42Walter Stable8,038
#43Carl Endangered7,641
#44Arthur Rising7,414
#45Willie Endangered7,226
#46Harold Endangered7,178
#47Henry Stable7,120
#48Jack Stable7,004
#49Dale Endangered6,963
#50Johnny Endangered6,700
#51Ralph Endangered6,525
#52Roy Endangered6,466
#53Kevin Endangered6,349
#54Stanley Endangered6,205
#55Philip Endangered6,098
#56Randy Endangered6,034
#57Joe Endangered5,824
#58Glenn Endangered5,803
#59Keith Endangered5,767
#60Albert Endangered5,758
#61Christopher Endangered5,734
#62Jimmy Endangered5,687
#63Craig Endangered5,623
#64Billy Endangered5,610
#65Eugene Endangered5,580
#66Randall Endangered5,532
#67Samuel Stable5,476
#68Scott Endangered5,381
#69Andrew Declining5,373
#70Harry Endangered5,303
#71Barry Endangered5,284
#72Allen Endangered5,179
#73Russell Stable5,175
#74Howard Endangered5,108
#75Brian Endangered5,101
#76Louis Stable5,089
#77Bobby Endangered5,006
#78Frederick Stable4,984
#79Phillip Endangered4,910
#80Leonard Endangered4,738
#81Martin Stable4,596
#82Ronnie Endangered4,530
#83Ernest Endangered4,382
#84Rodney Endangered4,296
#85Francis Stable4,199
#86Steve Endangered4,053
#87Fred Endangered3,994
#88Melvin Endangered3,837
#89Eddie Endangered3,748
#90Norman Endangered3,729
#91Curtis Endangered3,716
#92Lee Endangered3,682
#93Eric Endangered3,664
#94Tommy Endangered3,582
#95Earl Endangered3,571
#96Marvin Endangered3,557
#97Micheal Endangered3,276
#98Clarence Endangered3,232
#99Theodore Rising3,216
#100Alfred Endangered3,203