Birth year roster

Top names in 1953

The 100 most common names on 1953 birth certificates, for girls and boys, ranked by SSA records.

Mary and Robert led the 1953 baby-name charts, the top names among baby boom births. Mary was the #1 girls’ name for 76 years in all (between 1880 and 1961); Robert was the #1 boys’ name for 17 years in all (between 1924 and 1953). Of the 200 names below, 158 are now endangered or extinct; the tag on each shows where it stands today.

Explore the 1950s decade

Girls

#1Mary Endangered64,389
#2Linda Endangered61,281
#3Deborah Endangered52,199
#4Patricia Endangered51,019
#5Susan Endangered44,297
#6Barbara Endangered38,473
#7Debra Endangered36,856
#8Nancy Endangered30,620
#9Karen Endangered29,858
#10Pamela Endangered25,760
#11Sandra Endangered25,500
#12Cynthia Endangered25,140
#13Donna Endangered24,227
#14Kathleen Endangered23,731
#15Sharon Endangered23,040
#16Carol Endangered22,290
#17Diane Endangered21,351
#18Brenda Endangered20,122
#19Janet Endangered17,771
#20Margaret Endangered16,195
#21Elizabeth Stable16,099
#22Janice Endangered14,627
#23Kathy Endangered13,400
#24Rebecca Endangered12,959
#25Carolyn Endangered12,919
#26Joyce Endangered12,796
#27Judy Endangered12,735
#28Cheryl Endangered12,264
#29Shirley Endangered12,148
#30Judith Endangered11,969
#31Denise Endangered11,950
#32Christine Endangered11,793
#33Betty Endangered11,369
#34Beverly Endangered11,240
#35Catherine Endangered10,849
#36Marilyn Endangered10,742
#37Joan Endangered9,774
#38Gloria Endangered9,680
#39Gail Endangered9,585
#40Paula Endangered9,557
#41Martha Endangered9,263
#42Teresa Endangered8,932
#43Jane Stable8,913
#44Peggy Endangered8,762
#45Bonnie Endangered8,615
#46Ann Endangered8,579
#47Connie Endangered8,575
#48Kathryn Endangered8,324
#49Dorothy Endangered8,162
#50Theresa Endangered7,715
#51Laura Endangered7,628
#52Jean Endangered7,571
#53Virginia Endangered7,546
#54Jo Endangered7,513
#55Diana Stable7,438
#56Cathy Endangered7,301
#57Wanda Endangered7,203
#58Jacqueline Endangered7,128
#59Rose Stable7,004
#60Sheila Endangered6,965
#61Vicki Declining6,821
#62Ruth Endangered6,582
#63Katherine Declining6,559
#64Rita Endangered6,284
#65Helen Endangered6,123
#66Robin Endangered6,037
#67Lynn Endangered5,997
#68Maria Stable5,992
#69Phyllis Endangered5,961
#70Sherry Endangered5,935
#71Joanne Endangered5,890
#72Frances Endangered5,786
#73Alice Stable5,740
#74Julie Endangered5,668
#75Darlene Endangered5,591
#76Ellen Endangered5,537
#77Elaine Rising5,496
#78Suzanne Endangered5,472
#79Vickie Declining5,297
#80Anne Endangered5,256
#81Sally Endangered5,183
#82Victoria Declining5,164
#83Marsha Endangered5,131
#84Marcia Endangered5,062
#85Rhonda Endangered5,029
#86Marie Endangered4,955
#87Doris Endangered4,900
#88Valerie Stable4,591
#89Anita Endangered4,407
#90Roberta Endangered4,299
#91Lois Endangered4,219
#92Maureen Endangered4,112
#93Sarah Endangered4,086
#94Evelyn Stable4,064
#95Constance Endangered4,030
#96Leslie Endangered3,904
#97Jeanne Endangered3,853
#98Anna Declining3,837
#99Cindy Endangered3,825
#100Charlotte Stable3,813

Boys

#1Robert Endangered86,243
#2James Stable86,066
#3Michael Past peak84,198
#4John Past peak80,165
#5David Past peak76,119
#6William Declining61,829
#7Richard Endangered58,389
#8Thomas Stable47,008
#9Charles Stable38,421
#10Gary Endangered36,967
#11Steven Endangered33,721
#12Mark Endangered29,341
#13Joseph Declining29,269
#14Donald Endangered28,361
#15Ronald Endangered27,713
#16Paul Endangered25,509
#17Kenneth Endangered25,507
#18Larry Endangered25,208
#19Dennis Endangered23,658
#20Daniel Declining23,498
#21Stephen Endangered21,807
#22George Stable19,176
#23Edward Endangered18,984
#24Gregory Endangered16,160
#25Jeffrey Endangered15,949
#26Timothy Endangered15,187
#27Douglas Endangered14,138
#28Bruce Endangered14,048
#29Jerry Endangered13,901
#30Terry Endangered13,259
#31Roger Endangered13,172
#32Anthony Declining11,693
#33Frank Endangered11,180
#34Raymond Endangered11,110
#35Randy Endangered10,666
#36Kevin Endangered10,011
#37Lawrence Endangered9,856
#38Peter Stable9,729
#39Patrick Declining9,468
#40Wayne Endangered8,905
#41Danny Endangered8,627
#42Gerald Endangered8,619
#43Alan Stable8,454
#44Carl Endangered7,829
#45Walter Stable7,509
#46Scott Endangered7,489
#47Keith Endangered7,375
#48Dale Endangered7,350
#49Willie Endangered7,056
#50Arthur Rising7,001
#51Ricky Endangered6,887
#52Johnny Endangered6,717
#53Brian Endangered6,665
#54Henry Stable6,662
#55Roy Endangered6,655
#56Harold Endangered6,580
#57Jack Stable6,540
#58Rodney Endangered6,536
#59Ralph Endangered6,513
#60Craig Endangered6,459
#61Philip Endangered6,279
#62Stanley Endangered6,275
#63Christopher Endangered6,081
#64Randall Endangered5,973
#65Billy Endangered5,856
#66Joe Endangered5,797
#67Glenn Endangered5,726
#68Andrew Declining5,626
#69Albert Endangered5,439
#70Samuel Stable5,423
#71Russell Stable5,374
#72Jimmy Endangered5,310
#73Barry Endangered5,182
#74Bobby Endangered5,179
#75Eugene Endangered5,147
#76Phillip Endangered5,103
#77Howard Endangered4,985
#78Louis Stable4,985
#79Ronnie Endangered4,970
#80Frederick Stable4,865
#81Allen Endangered4,854
#82Martin Stable4,778
#83Harry Endangered4,580
#84Steve Endangered4,539
#85Leonard Endangered4,412
#86Curtis Endangered4,353
#87Ernest Endangered4,095
#88Micheal Endangered3,987
#89Eric Endangered3,929
#90Francis Stable3,875
#91Melvin Endangered3,811
#92Fred Endangered3,789
#93Lee Endangered3,583
#94Marvin Endangered3,564
#95Tommy Endangered3,469
#96Earl Endangered3,437
#97Eddie Endangered3,417
#98Norman Endangered3,372
#99Jay Stable3,235
#100Vincent Stable3,174