Most popular baby names of 1950
Top 100 boys & girls in 1950 (decade snapshot). Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
In 1950, the most popular US baby name for girls was Linda (80,433 babies) and for boys was James (86,228 babies), according to the Social Security Administration. The top five girl names were Linda, Mary, Patricia, Barbara, Susan; the top five boy names were James, Robert, John, Michael, David. The full top 100 for each sex, with birth counts, is below.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names. Data as of SSA national data through 2025, state data through 2025, retrieved June 2026.
Top 100 girl names, 1950
| # | Name | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Linda | 80,433 |
| 2 | Mary | 65,481 |
| 3 | Patricia | 47,944 |
| 4 | Barbara | 41,556 |
| 5 | Susan | 38,017 |
| 6 | Nancy | 29,617 |
| 7 | Deborah | 29,063 |
| 8 | Sandra | 28,896 |
| 9 | Carol | 26,163 |
| 10 | Kathleen | 25,706 |
| 11 | Sharon | 24,612 |
| 12 | Karen | 24,132 |
| 13 | Donna | 21,629 |
| 14 | Brenda | 20,799 |
| 15 | Margaret | 18,110 |
| 16 | Diane | 17,636 |
| 17 | Pamela | 16,202 |
| 18 | Janet | 16,193 |
| 19 | Shirley | 15,891 |
| 20 | Carolyn | 15,588 |
| 21 | Judith | 15,352 |
| 22 | Janice | 15,012 |
| 23 | Cynthia | 14,447 |
| 24 | Elizabeth | 14,334 |
| 25 | Judy | 14,207 |
| 26 | Betty | 13,615 |
| 27 | Joyce | 13,415 |
| 28 | Christine | 12,673 |
| 29 | Cheryl | 11,823 |
| 30 | Gloria | 11,037 |
| 31 | Beverly | 10,503 |
| 32 | Martha | 9,839 |
| 33 | Bonnie | 9,746 |
| 34 | Catherine | 9,655 |
| 35 | Dorothy | 9,551 |
| 36 | Rebecca | 9,425 |
| 37 | Marilyn | 9,285 |
| 38 | Kathy | 9,090 |
| 39 | Jane | 8,964 |
| 40 | Joan | 8,860 |
| 41 | Peggy | 8,532 |
| 42 | Gail | 8,350 |
| 43 | Virginia | 8,312 |
| 44 | Connie | 8,145 |
| 45 | Ann | 7,921 |
| 46 | Kathryn | 7,863 |
| 47 | Diana | 7,447 |
| 48 | Jean | 7,432 |
| 49 | Ruth | 7,128 |
| 50 | Helen | 7,061 |
| 51 | Frances | 6,975 |
| 52 | Wanda | 6,929 |
| 53 | Phyllis | 6,695 |
| 54 | Paula | 6,631 |
| 55 | Jacqueline | 6,455 |
| 56 | Rita | 6,424 |
| 57 | Alice | 6,363 |
| 58 | Katherine | 6,205 |
| 59 | Debra | 6,176 |
| 60 | Elaine | 6,037 |
| 61 | Vicki | 5,823 |
| 62 | Sherry | 5,808 |
| 63 | Laura | 5,725 |
| 64 | Jo | 5,676 |
| 65 | Theresa | 5,628 |
| 66 | Ellen | 5,567 |
| 67 | Joanne | 5,491 |
| 68 | Marsha | 5,400 |
| 69 | Rose | 5,376 |
| 70 | Sheila | 5,322 |
| 71 | Suzanne | 5,266 |
| 72 | Marie | 5,222 |
| 73 | Maria | 5,076 |
| 74 | Doris | 5,053 |
| 75 | Cathy | 5,031 |
| 76 | Lynn | 5,020 |
| 77 | Marcia | 4,955 |
| 78 | Sally | 4,870 |
| 79 | Darlene | 4,830 |
| 80 | Charlotte | 4,735 |
| 81 | Teresa | 4,724 |
| 82 | Denise | 4,514 |
| 83 | Lois | 4,504 |
| 84 | Anne | 4,459 |
| 85 | Constance | 4,441 |
| 86 | Evelyn | 4,275 |
| 87 | Glenda | 4,215 |
| 88 | Sarah | 4,143 |
| 89 | Maureen | 4,070 |
| 90 | Dianne | 3,921 |
| 91 | Eileen | 3,883 |
| 92 | Irene | 3,825 |
| 93 | Anna | 3,815 |
| 94 | Victoria | 3,781 |
| 95 | Jeanne | 3,736 |
| 96 | Roberta | 3,630 |
| 97 | Sylvia | 3,612 |
| 98 | Joann | 3,600 |
| 99 | Anita | 3,572 |
| 100 | Sue | 3,503 |
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names. Data as of SSA national data through 2025, state data through 2025, retrieved June 2026.
Top 100 boy names, 1950
| # | Name | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | James | 86,228 |
| 2 | Robert | 83,553 |
| 3 | John | 79,412 |
| 4 | Michael | 65,136 |
| 5 | David | 60,729 |
| 6 | William | 60,680 |
| 7 | Richard | 51,003 |
| 8 | Thomas | 45,596 |
| 9 | Charles | 39,095 |
| 10 | Gary | 33,737 |
| 11 | Larry | 31,480 |
| 12 | Ronald | 29,908 |
| 13 | Joseph | 27,022 |
| 14 | Donald | 26,999 |
| 15 | Kenneth | 23,813 |
| 16 | Steven | 23,250 |
| 17 | Dennis | 22,862 |
| 18 | Paul | 21,742 |
| 19 | Stephen | 20,511 |
| 20 | George | 20,183 |
| 21 | Daniel | 19,189 |
| 22 | Edward | 18,714 |
| 23 | Mark | 16,604 |
| 24 | Jerry | 15,261 |
| 25 | Gregory | 13,311 |
| 26 | Bruce | 12,674 |
| 27 | Roger | 12,552 |
| 28 | Douglas | 12,264 |
| 29 | Frank | 11,606 |
| 30 | Terry | 11,433 |
| 31 | Raymond | 11,180 |
| 32 | Timothy | 10,499 |
| 33 | Lawrence | 10,173 |
| 34 | Gerald | 9,726 |
| 35 | Wayne | 9,259 |
| 36 | Anthony | 8,612 |
| 37 | Peter | 8,362 |
| 38 | Patrick | 8,179 |
| 39 | Danny | 8,143 |
| 40 | Walter | 7,798 |
| 41 | Alan | 7,737 |
| 42 | Willie | 7,717 |
| 43 | Jeffrey | 7,644 |
| 44 | Carl | 7,288 |
| 45 | Harold | 7,214 |
| 46 | Arthur | 7,161 |
| 47 | Henry | 6,963 |
| 48 | Jack | 6,840 |
| 49 | Dale | 6,785 |
| 50 | Johnny | 6,581 |
| 51 | Roy | 6,454 |
| 52 | Ralph | 6,406 |
| 53 | Philip | 6,070 |
| 54 | Joe | 6,033 |
| 55 | Jimmy | 5,761 |
| 56 | Albert | 5,754 |
| 57 | Billy | 5,674 |
| 58 | Eugene | 5,481 |
| 59 | Glenn | 5,465 |
| 60 | Stanley | 5,453 |
| 61 | Harry | 5,375 |
| 62 | Samuel | 5,227 |
| 63 | Howard | 5,164 |
| 64 | Phillip | 5,055 |
| 65 | Bobby | 5,019 |
| 66 | Louis | 4,947 |
| 67 | Russell | 4,945 |
| 68 | Andrew | 4,932 |
| 69 | Craig | 4,888 |
| 70 | Randall | 4,843 |
| 71 | Allen | 4,840 |
| 72 | Christopher | 4,835 |
| 73 | Kevin | 4,752 |
| 74 | Barry | 4,694 |
| 75 | Frederick | 4,659 |
| 76 | Ronnie | 4,616 |
| 77 | Leonard | 4,581 |
| 78 | Keith | 4,566 |
| 79 | Brian | 4,441 |
| 80 | Randy | 4,354 |
| 81 | Ernest | 4,308 |
| 82 | Scott | 4,268 |
| 83 | Steve | 4,207 |
| 84 | Fred | 4,195 |
| 85 | Martin | 4,180 |
| 86 | Francis | 4,082 |
| 87 | Melvin | 3,886 |
| 88 | Rodney | 3,856 |
| 89 | Eddie | 3,760 |
| 90 | Norman | 3,641 |
| 91 | Lee | 3,611 |
| 92 | Earl | 3,589 |
| 93 | Marvin | 3,493 |
| 94 | Tommy | 3,434 |
| 95 | Clarence | 3,340 |
| 96 | Alfred | 3,235 |
| 97 | Curtis | 3,209 |
| 98 | Eric | 3,095 |
| 99 | Theodore | 2,960 |
| 100 | Clifford | 2,940 |
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names. Data as of SSA national data through 2025, state data through 2025, retrieved June 2026.
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Frequently asked questions
What were the most popular baby names in 1950?
In 1950, the most popular US girl name was Linda (80,433 babies) and the most popular boy name was James (86,228 babies), per the Social Security Administration. The top five girls were Linda, Mary, Patricia, Barbara, Susan; the top five boys were James, Robert, John, Michael, David.
How many babies got the #1 name in 1950?
In 1950, Linda was given to 80,433 baby girls and James to 86,228 baby boys, the highest counts that year in SSA national data.
Source
U.S. Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names, national data for 1950. SSA national data through 2025, state data through 2025, retrieved June 2026. Public domain (U.S. Government). See our methodology.
Last updated: 2026-06-22