Birth year roster

Top names in 1961

The 100 most common names on 1961 birth certificates, for girls and boys, ranked by SSA records.

Mary and Michael led the 1961 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, 162 are now endangered or extinct; the tag on each shows where it stands today.

Explore the 1960s decade

Girls

#1Mary Endangered47,682
#2Lisa Endangered42,720
#3Susan Endangered37,532
#4Linda Endangered35,597
#5Karen Endangered34,707
#6Patricia Endangered28,889
#7Donna Endangered28,679
#8Cynthia Endangered24,393
#9Sandra Endangered24,153
#10Deborah Endangered24,107
#11Brenda Endangered23,781
#12Barbara Endangered23,002
#13Debra Endangered22,160
#14Lori Endangered21,876
#15Pamela Endangered21,691
#16Nancy Endangered20,729
#17Sharon Endangered20,459
#18Teresa Endangered18,909
#19Elizabeth Stable18,855
#20Cheryl Endangered18,301
#21Laura Endangered17,901
#22Kimberly Endangered17,355
#23Julie Endangered17,040
#24Carol Endangered16,667
#25Kathy Endangered16,385
#26Diane Endangered16,205
#27Robin Endangered15,653
#28Tammy Endangered15,532
#29Kathleen Endangered15,395
#30Denise Endangered15,379
#31Debbie Endangered14,882
#32Janet Endangered13,930
#33Cindy Endangered13,388
#34Michelle Endangered12,741
#35Theresa Endangered11,960
#36Kim Endangered11,367
#37Jacqueline Endangered10,983
#38Angela Endangered10,843
#39Christine Endangered10,598
#40Margaret Endangered10,559
#41Tina Endangered10,521
#42Carolyn Endangered10,509
#43Laurie Endangered10,435
#44Rebecca Endangered10,236
#45Kelly Endangered9,642
#46Rhonda Endangered9,469
#47Jennifer Endangered9,265
#48Catherine Endangered9,251
#49Dawn Endangered9,148
#50Connie Endangered8,986
#51Terri Endangered8,730
#52Janice Endangered8,727
#53Sherry Endangered8,361
#54Ann Endangered8,216
#55Cathy Endangered8,211
#56Diana Stable8,198
#57Maria Stable7,947
#58Judy Endangered7,922
#59Sheila Endangered7,805
#60Paula Endangered7,744
#61Wendy Endangered7,154
#62Joyce Endangered6,996
#63Michele Endangered6,995
#64Tracy Endangered6,988
#65Beth Endangered6,716
#66Beverly Endangered6,708
#67Valerie Stable6,677
#68Suzanne Endangered6,611
#69Amy Endangered6,610
#70Wanda Endangered6,467
#71Lynn Endangered6,441
#72Jane Stable6,365
#73Annette Endangered6,203
#74Jill Endangered6,137
#75Bonnie Endangered6,033
#76Vicki Declining5,967
#77Carla Endangered5,817
#78Stephanie Endangered5,816
#79Renee Endangered5,782
#80Darlene Endangered5,728
#81Martha Endangered5,724
#82Gloria Endangered5,691
#83Judith Endangered5,690
#84Leslie Endangered5,668
#85Shirley Endangered5,638
#86Katherine Declining5,632
#87Betty Endangered5,584
#88Peggy Endangered5,567
#89Joan Endangered5,551
#90Anne Endangered5,524
#91Anita Endangered5,503
#92Jean Endangered5,366
#93Kathryn Endangered5,226
#94Gail Endangered4,973
#95Melissa Endangered4,900
#96Ruth Endangered4,896
#97Ellen Endangered4,844
#98Regina Stable4,764
#99Dorothy Endangered4,732
#100Anna Declining4,678

Boys

#1Michael Past peak86,974
#2David Past peak84,810
#3John Past peak79,983
#4James Stable75,969
#5Robert Endangered72,977
#6Mark Endangered57,796
#7William Declining48,045
#8Richard Endangered41,142
#9Thomas Stable37,565
#10Steven Endangered32,275
#11Jeffrey Endangered32,029
#12Joseph Declining29,450
#13Charles Stable29,194
#14Kevin Endangered28,926
#15Timothy Endangered28,253
#16Kenneth Endangered26,100
#17Daniel Declining25,904
#18Paul Endangered25,640
#19Scott Endangered23,934
#20Brian Endangered22,566
#21Gary Endangered22,174
#22Donald Endangered21,409
#23Gregory Endangered21,364
#24Ronald Endangered20,842
#25Anthony Declining20,209
#26Christopher Endangered17,223
#27Stephen Endangered16,069
#28Douglas Endangered15,978
#29Edward Endangered15,877
#30Larry Endangered14,580
#31George Stable13,644
#32Terry Endangered13,194
#33Randy Endangered12,603
#34Dennis Endangered12,503
#35Keith Endangered12,275
#36Mike Endangered11,667
#37Jerry Endangered11,381
#38Eric Endangered11,111
#39Patrick Declining11,052
#40Bruce Endangered10,705
#41Frank Endangered10,433
#42Peter Stable10,349
#43Craig Endangered10,235
#44Ricky Endangered10,027
#45Steve Endangered9,997
#46Todd Endangered9,750
#47Roger Endangered9,652
#48Raymond Endangered9,618
#49Jeff Endangered9,463
#50Jeffery Endangered8,923
#51Alan Stable8,617
#52Andrew Declining8,483
#53Tony Endangered8,306
#54Danny Endangered8,199
#55Russell Stable7,333
#56Carl Endangered7,255
#57Chris Endangered7,203
#58Dale Endangered7,193
#59Matthew Declining7,081
#60Joe Endangered7,056
#61Wayne Endangered6,762
#62Gerald Endangered6,630
#63Randall Endangered6,587
#64Glenn Endangered6,271
#65Tim Endangered6,245
#66Barry Endangered6,220
#67Lawrence Endangered6,094
#68Billy Endangered6,026
#69Phillip Endangered5,976
#70Johnny Endangered5,905
#71Jimmy Endangered5,749
#72Rodney Endangered5,660
#73Martin Stable5,476
#74Walter Stable5,467
#75Curtis Endangered5,447
#76Bobby Endangered5,402
#77Greg Endangered5,397
#78Jim Endangered5,352
#79Philip Endangered5,288
#80Darryl Endangered5,134
#81Jay Stable5,119
#82Bryan Declining5,028
#83Roy Endangered4,966
#84Dean Stable4,933
#85Arthur Rising4,815
#86Willie Endangered4,790
#87Bradley Declining4,745
#88Tom Endangered4,731
#89Samuel Stable4,667
#90Jack Stable4,639
#91Ronnie Endangered4,624
#92Henry Stable4,620
#93Jon Endangered4,608
#94Harold Endangered4,448
#95Ralph Endangered4,443
#96Allen Endangered4,391
#97Albert Endangered4,324
#98Vincent Stable4,317
#99Victor Declining4,301
#100Troy Endangered4,259