Birth year roster

Top names in 1956

The 100 most common names on 1956 birth certificates, for girls and boys, ranked by SSA records.

Mary and Michael led the 1956 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); Michael was the #1 boys’ name for 44 years in all (between 1954 and 1998). Of the 200 names below, 159 are now endangered or extinct; the tag on each shows where it stands today.

Explore the 1950s decade

Girls

#1Mary Endangered61,741
#2Debra Endangered48,324
#3Linda Endangered48,084
#4Deborah Endangered47,834
#5Susan Endangered46,558
#6Patricia Endangered43,329
#7Karen Endangered40,052
#8Cynthia Endangered32,339
#9Barbara Endangered32,302
#10Donna Endangered29,852
#11Nancy Endangered28,784
#12Pamela Endangered26,928
#13Sharon Endangered26,881
#14Sandra Endangered24,302
#15Diane Endangered22,518
#16Carol Endangered21,408
#17Kathleen Endangered21,377
#18Cheryl Endangered21,278
#19Brenda Endangered19,341
#20Kathy Endangered17,177
#21Janet Endangered16,758
#22Elizabeth Stable16,355
#23Denise Endangered14,509
#24Teresa Endangered14,464
#25Margaret Endangered13,913
#26Janice Endangered13,017
#27Rebecca Endangered12,168
#28Catherine Endangered12,056
#29Robin Endangered11,621
#30Joyce Endangered11,091
#31Lisa Endangered11,012
#32Theresa Endangered10,841
#33Carolyn Endangered10,634
#34Laura Endangered10,570
#35Judy Endangered10,197
#36Cathy Endangered10,132
#37Cindy Endangered9,978
#38Kim Endangered9,897
#39Debbie Endangered9,863
#40Beverly Endangered9,449
#41Shirley Endangered9,429
#42Christine Endangered9,371
#43Connie Endangered9,361
#44Betty Endangered9,218
#45Judith Endangered9,115
#46Ann Endangered8,990
#47Paula Endangered8,925
#48Julie Endangered8,574
#49Gail Endangered8,435
#50Jane Stable8,241
#51Bonnie Endangered8,133
#52Joan Endangered8,080
#53Gloria Endangered7,927
#54Sherry Endangered7,898
#55Sheila Endangered7,872
#56Diana Stable7,851
#57Vicki Declining7,767
#58Lynn Endangered7,736
#59Martha Endangered7,711
#60Kathryn Endangered7,594
#61Wanda Endangered7,546
#62Rhonda Endangered7,521
#63Peggy Endangered7,494
#64Rose Stable7,337
#65Jean Endangered7,175
#66Lori Endangered7,145
#67Katherine Declining7,082
#68Vickie Declining6,957
#69Jo Endangered6,953
#70Marilyn Endangered6,926
#71Darlene Endangered6,919
#72Dorothy Endangered6,858
#73Maria Stable6,733
#74Kimberly Endangered6,730
#75Virginia Endangered6,392
#76Laurie Endangered6,207
#77Ruth Endangered6,075
#78Jacqueline Endangered6,062
#79Rita Endangered6,054
#80Valerie Stable5,909
#81Terri Endangered5,744
#82Phyllis Endangered5,642
#83Anita Endangered5,505
#84Ellen Endangered5,432
#85Victoria Declining5,388
#86Anne Endangered5,356
#87Tina Endangered5,330
#88Michelle Endangered5,327
#89Elaine Rising5,310
#90Helen Endangered5,278
#91Terry Endangered5,272
#92Dawn Endangered5,128
#93Angela Endangered5,034
#94Suzanne Endangered5,024
#95Wendy Endangered4,861
#96Marie Endangered4,794
#97Jennifer Endangered4,711
#98Alice Stable4,680
#99Joanne Endangered4,671
#100Michele Endangered4,617

Boys

#1Michael Past peak90,691
#2James Stable84,897
#3Robert Endangered83,924
#4David Past peak81,652
#5John Past peak80,804
#6William Declining58,991
#7Richard Endangered52,915
#8Mark Endangered48,828
#9Thomas Stable44,836
#10Steven Endangered38,413
#11Charles Stable35,239
#12Joseph Declining32,749
#13Gary Endangered31,842
#14Donald Endangered28,223
#15Ronald Endangered27,725
#16Kenneth Endangered27,432
#17Paul Endangered26,897
#18Daniel Declining26,655
#19Timothy Endangered23,288
#20Jeffrey Endangered23,285
#21Larry Endangered22,322
#22Kevin Endangered21,761
#23Stephen Endangered21,204
#24Gregory Endangered21,082
#25Edward Endangered19,436
#26Dennis Endangered18,359
#27George Stable17,232
#28Randy Endangered16,547
#29Douglas Endangered16,389
#30Anthony Declining15,565
#31Terry Endangered15,064
#32Brian Endangered14,666
#33Bruce Endangered14,660
#34Scott Endangered13,214
#35Jerry Endangered12,623
#36Keith Endangered11,480
#37Peter Stable11,334
#38Frank Endangered11,151
#39Raymond Endangered11,108
#40Patrick Declining10,326
#41Roger Endangered10,153
#42Lawrence Endangered8,898
#43Ricky Endangered8,780
#44Alan Stable8,734
#45Wayne Endangered8,717
#46Danny Endangered8,565
#47Christopher Endangered8,384
#48Carl Endangered8,313
#49Gerald Endangered7,991
#50Dale Endangered7,720
#51Craig Endangered7,422
#52Russell Stable7,402
#53Walter Stable7,019
#54Randall Endangered6,913
#55Johnny Endangered6,636
#56Andrew Declining6,603
#57Jeffery Endangered6,569
#58Willie Endangered6,525
#59Steve Endangered6,472
#60Arthur Rising6,289
#61Glenn Endangered6,196
#62Roy Endangered6,133
#63Joe Endangered6,124
#64Philip Endangered6,105
#65Rodney Endangered6,076
#66Jack Stable6,051
#67Ralph Endangered6,041
#68Billy Endangered6,013
#69Barry Endangered5,988
#70Stanley Endangered5,985
#71Henry Stable5,971
#72Harold Endangered5,955
#73Martin Stable5,682
#74Samuel Stable5,585
#75Ronnie Endangered5,491
#76Phillip Endangered5,414
#77Bobby Endangered5,358
#78Jimmy Endangered5,345
#79Eric Endangered5,252
#80Curtis Endangered5,157
#81Albert Endangered5,150
#82Louis Stable4,910
#83Micheal Endangered4,732
#84Howard Endangered4,707
#85Tony Endangered4,669
#86Eugene Endangered4,620
#87Allen Endangered4,612
#88Darrell Endangered4,468
#89Leonard Endangered4,371
#90Matthew Declining4,366
#91Frederick Stable4,306
#92Jay Stable4,120
#93Eddie Endangered3,994
#94Ernest Endangered3,952
#95Harry Endangered3,925
#96Victor Declining3,908
#97Mike Endangered3,900
#98Vincent Stable3,756
#99Dean Stable3,712
#100Rick Endangered3,655