babynamepicker

Girl Names of the 1950s

The 100 most common girl names given in the United States during the 1950s, by the number of children recorded with each name across those years.

All 100 names

  1. Mary 625,606
  2. Linda 564,364
  3. Patricia 459,681
  4. Susan 437,774
  5. Deborah 430,537
  6. Barbara 345,722
  7. Debra 341,348
  8. Karen 332,531
  9. Nancy 286,812
  10. Donna 270,338
  11. Cynthia 263,432
  12. Sandra 251,591
  13. Pamela 237,398
  14. Sharon 232,807
  15. Kathleen 224,342
  16. Carol 222,656
  17. Diane 210,624
  18. Brenda 209,241
  19. Cheryl 171,387
  20. Janet 167,520
  21. Elizabeth 165,656
  22. Kathy 157,930
  23. Margaret 149,582
  24. Janice 133,620
  25. Carolyn 124,067
  26. Denise 123,783
  27. Judy 118,060
  28. Rebecca 115,690
  29. Joyce 114,984
  30. Teresa 114,283
  31. Christine 113,340
  32. Catherine 108,839
  33. Shirley 108,807
  34. Judith 108,758
  35. Betty 103,204
  36. Beverly 97,790
  37. Lisa 95,824
  38. Laura 95,526
  39. Theresa 89,608
  40. Connie 88,799
  41. Ann 87,047
  42. Gloria 86,705
  43. Julie 86,689
  44. Gail 85,618
  45. Joan 85,179
  46. Paula 84,869
  47. Peggy 84,293
  48. Cindy 83,979
  49. Martha 83,190
  50. Bonnie 83,013
  51. Jane 82,919
  52. Cathy 82,719
  53. Robin 82,423
  54. Debbie 82,097
  55. Diana 80,234
  56. Marilyn 80,161
  57. Kathryn 77,803
  58. Dorothy 74,475
  59. Wanda 72,448
  60. Jean 72,263
  61. Vicki 71,980
  62. Sheila 70,174
  63. Virginia 69,783
  64. Sherry 68,322
  65. Katherine 66,855
  66. Rose 66,688
  67. Lynn 66,049
  68. Jo 63,939
  69. Ruth 62,538
  70. Maria 62,458
  71. Darlene 61,886
  72. Jacqueline 60,459
  73. Rita 60,265
  74. Rhonda 59,816
  75. Phyllis 57,764
  76. Helen 57,580
  77. Vickie 56,857
  78. Kim 56,080
  79. Lori 56,070
  80. Ellen 55,392
  81. Elaine 54,232
  82. Joanne 53,568
  83. Anne 52,404
  84. Valerie 52,230
  85. Alice 52,074
  86. Frances 51,200
  87. Suzanne 50,330
  88. Marie 49,263
  89. Victoria 49,127
  90. Kimberly 48,958
  91. Anita 47,588
  92. Laurie 46,964
  93. Michelle 46,779
  94. Sally 46,706
  95. Terri 46,431
  96. Marcia 43,733
  97. Terry 43,194
  98. Jennifer 43,075
  99. Leslie 43,049
  100. Doris 42,898

How 1950s girl names compare

Mary was the most common girl name of the 1950s, given to 625,606 girls across those years, with Linda, Patricia, Susan and Deborah behind it. The hundredth name on the list, Doris, accounts for 42,898. Between them the hundred names cover 12,466,743 births. Two different names took the number one spot across the decade: Mary for seven years and Linda for three years.

76 of these names were also in the 1940s top 100, and 24 were not. Four are still in the 2025 top 100 — Elizabeth, Maria, Alice and Victoria — and 22 are inside the top 500. Two names were not recorded at all in 2025, which in this file means fewer than five children were given them.

Those hundred names cover 64.8% of all girls born in the 1950s — 12,466,743 of 19,234,376 — and Mary alone accounts for 3.3% of them. The hundred most common names of 2025 take 31.5% between them, so naming has spread wider since. Every one of the hundred was already in the record before the 1950s began.

Questions about 1950s girl names

What was the most popular girl name of the 1950s?

Mary, given to 625,606 girls across those years. The next two were Linda and Patricia.

Are 1950s girl names still used today?

Four of the hundred are in the 2025 top 100: Elizabeth, Maria, Alice and Victoria.