Birth year roster

Top names in 1953

Name: Top baby names in 1953
Creator: Social Security Administration

The names most likely to appear on 1953 birth certificates, ranked by SSA records.

Mary and Robert led the 1953 baby-name charts, a pair that captures the naming culture of mid-century America — a timeless classic that had dominated since the 1880s and Robert, a perennial powerhouse that would anchor the decade. The full top 25 below reveals which names defined the 1953 classroom and how many have since faded or endured.

Explore the 1950s decade

Girls

#1Mary64,389
#2Linda61,281
#3Deborah52,199
#4Patricia51,019
#5Susan44,297
#6Barbara38,473
#7Debra36,856
#8Nancy30,620
#9Karen29,858
#10Pamela25,760
#11Sandra25,500
#12Cynthia25,140
#13Donna24,227
#14Kathleen23,731
#15Sharon23,040
#16Carol22,290
#17Diane21,351
#18Brenda20,122
#19Janet17,771
#20Margaret16,195
#21Elizabeth16,099
#22Janice14,627
#23Kathy13,400
#24Rebecca12,959
#25Carolyn12,919

Boys

#1Robert86,243
#2James86,066
#3Michael84,198
#4John80,165
#5David76,119
#6William61,829
#7Richard58,389
#8Thomas47,008
#9Charles38,421
#10Gary36,967
#11Steven33,721
#12Mark29,341
#13Joseph29,269
#14Donald28,361
#15Ronald27,713
#16Paul25,509
#17Kenneth25,507
#18Larry25,208
#19Dennis23,658
#20Daniel23,498
#21Stephen21,807
#22George19,176
#23Edward18,984
#24Gregory16,160
#25Jeffrey15,949