Most popular baby names of 1953

In 1953, the most popular names for US babies were Robert for boys (86,245 babies, 4.4% of boys) and Mary for girls (64,390 babies, 3.4% of girls). The rest of the top five were James, Michael, John and David for boys and Linda, Deborah, Patricia and Susan for girls. SSA recorded 4,341 different boy names and 6,497 different girl names that year.

Top 100 boy names, 1953
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Robert	86,245	▲ 1
2	James	86,071	▼ 1
3	Michael	84,202	▲ 1
4	John	80,167	▼ 1
5	David	76,119	–
6	William	61,830	–
7	Richard	58,389	–
8	Thomas	47,009	–
9	Charles	38,420	–
10	Gary	36,966	–
11	Steven	33,724	–
12	Mark	29,343	▲ 5
13	Joseph	29,267	▼ 1
14	Donald	28,360	▼ 1
15	Ronald	27,714	–
16	Paul	25,509	▲ 3
17	Kenneth	25,507	▼ 1
18	Larry	25,207	▼ 4
19	Dennis	23,658	▼ 1
20	Daniel	23,499	–
21	Stephen	21,808	–
22	George	19,177	–
23	Edward	18,984	–
24	Gregory	16,160	–
25	Jeffrey	15,950	▲ 6
26	Timothy	15,188	▲ 1
27	Douglas	14,139	▲ 1
28	Bruce	14,048	▼ 3
29	Jerry	13,902	▼ 3
30	Terry	13,259	▼ 1
31	Roger	13,171	▼ 1
32	Anthony	11,694	▲ 2
33	Frank	11,180	▼ 1
34	Raymond	11,110	▼ 1
35	Randy	10,665	▲ 6
36	Kevin	10,011	▲ 7
37	Lawrence	9,856	▼ 2
38	Peter	9,730	▼ 2
39	Patrick	9,469	▼ 2
40	Wayne	8,905	▼ 2
41	Danny	8,627	▼ 1
42	Gerald	8,619	▼ 3
43	Alan	8,454	▼ 1
44	Carl	7,829	▲ 1
45	Walter	7,509	▼ 1
46	Scott	7,489	▲ 8
47	Keith	7,376	▲ 2
48	Dale	7,349	▼ 2
49	Willie	7,057	▼ 1
50	Arthur	7,000	▼ 3
51	Ricky	6,888	▲ 30
52	Johnny	6,717	▲ 1
53	Brian	6,666	▲ 11
54	Henry	6,663	▼ 4
55	Roy	6,656	–
56	Harold	6,581	▼ 5
57	Jack	6,539	▼ 5
58	Rodney	6,536	▲ 26
59	Ralph	6,513	▼ 3
60	Craig	6,460	▼ 1
61	Philip	6,279	▼ 1
62	Stanley	6,275	▼ 4
63	Christopher	6,081	▼ 6
64	Randall	5,973	▼ 2
65	Billy	5,856	–
66	Joe	5,797	▼ 3
67	Glenn	5,727	▼ 6
68	Andrew	5,625	–
69	Albert	5,439	▼ 3
70	Samuel	5,423	▼ 3
71	Russell	5,374	▼ 1
72	Jimmy	5,310	–
73	Barry	5,181	▼ 4
74	Bobby	5,179	▲ 3
75	Eugene	5,147	▼ 4
76	Phillip	5,102	▼ 2
77	Louis	4,986	▲ 2
78	Howard	4,985	▼ 5
79	Ronnie	4,969	▲ 3
80	Frederick	4,865	▼ 4
81	Allen	4,856	▼ 3
82	Martin	4,778	▼ 2
83	Harry	4,580	▼ 8
84	Steve	4,539	▲ 1
85	Leonard	4,412	▼ 2
86	Curtis	4,353	–
87	Ernest	4,096	–
88	Micheal	3,987	▲ 6
89	Eric	3,929	▼ 1
90	Francis	3,875	▼ 1
91	Melvin	3,813	–
92	Fred	3,790	▼ 2
93	Lee	3,584	▼ 1
94	Marvin	3,564	▲ 1
95	Tommy	3,469	▲ 2
96	Earl	3,437	▲ 2
97	Eddie	3,416	▼ 4
98	Norman	3,372	▼ 2
99	Jay	3,235	▲ 7
100	Vincent	3,173	▲ 1

Top 100 girl names, 1953
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Mary	64,390	▲ 1
2	Linda	61,281	▼ 1
3	Deborah	52,199	▲ 1
4	Patricia	51,021	▼ 1
5	Susan	44,297	–
6	Barbara	38,474	–
7	Debra	36,855	▲ 2
8	Nancy	30,620	▼ 1
9	Karen	29,858	▼ 1
10	Pamela	25,759	▲ 7
11	Sandra	25,500	▼ 1
12	Cynthia	25,138	▲ 6
13	Donna	24,226	–
14	Kathleen	23,731	▼ 3
15	Sharon	23,041	▼ 1
16	Carol	22,291	▼ 4
17	Diane	21,350	▼ 1
18	Brenda	20,123	▼ 3
19	Janet	17,771	–
20	Margaret	16,196	▲ 1
21	Elizabeth	16,098	▲ 1
22	Janice	14,627	▲ 1
23	Kathy	13,400	▲ 6
24	Rebecca	12,961	▲ 6
25	Carolyn	12,918	▼ 1
26	Joyce	12,797	▲ 1
27	Judy	12,736	▼ 1
28	Cheryl	12,265	▲ 3
29	Shirley	12,149	▼ 1
30	Judith	11,968	▼ 5
31	Denise	11,950	▲ 2
32	Christine	11,793	▼ 12
33	Betty	11,369	▼ 1
34	Beverly	11,240	▲ 1
35	Catherine	10,848	▼ 1
36	Marilyn	10,742	▲ 2
37	Joan	9,774	–
38	Gloria	9,680	▼ 2
39	Gail	9,586	–
40	Paula	9,557	▲ 7
41	Martha	9,263	▼ 1
42	Teresa	8,932	▲ 10
43	Jane	8,913	▼ 1
44	Peggy	8,762	▼ 1
45	Bonnie	8,615	▼ 4
46	Ann	8,579	▼ 1
47	Connie	8,575	▼ 3
48	Kathryn	8,324	–
49	Dorothy	8,163	▼ 3
50	Theresa	7,715	▲ 10
51	Laura	7,628	▲ 2
52	Jean	7,571	▼ 2
53	Virginia	7,546	▼ 4
54	Jo	7,513	▲ 1
55	Diana	7,439	▼ 4
56	Cathy	7,300	–
57	Wanda	7,205	▼ 3
58	Jacqueline	7,131	–
59	Rose	7,004	▲ 3
60	Sheila	6,964	▲ 4
61	Vicki	6,821	–
62	Ruth	6,582	▼ 5
63	Katherine	6,559	▼ 4
64	Rita	6,284	▲ 2
65	Helen	6,123	▼ 2
66	Robin	6,038	▲ 36
67	Lynn	5,997	▲ 4
68	Maria	5,992	▲ 4
69	Phyllis	5,962	▼ 4
70	Sherry	5,935	▼ 2
71	Joanne	5,890	▲ 7
72	Frances	5,786	▼ 5
73	Alice	5,740	▼ 4
74	Julie	5,668	▲ 11
75	Darlene	5,591	▲ 2
76	Ellen	5,537	▼ 6
77	Elaine	5,495	▼ 4
78	Suzanne	5,472	▲ 6
79	Vickie	5,296	▼ 3
80	Anne	5,256	▼ 1
81	Sally	5,183	–
82	Victoria	5,164	▼ 8
83	Marsha	5,132	▼ 8
84	Marcia	5,062	▼ 4
85	Rhonda	5,029	▲ 10
86	Marie	4,955	▼ 4
87	Doris	4,900	▼ 4
88	Valerie	4,591	▼ 1
89	Anita	4,408	▲ 2
90	Roberta	4,299	▼ 2
91	Lois	4,220	▼ 5
92	Maureen	4,112	▲ 2
93	Sarah	4,085	–
94	Evelyn	4,064	▼ 4
95	Constance	4,030	▼ 3
96	Leslie	3,904	▲ 8
97	Jeanne	3,853	▲ 1
98	Anna	3,837	▲ 3
99	Cindy	3,825	▲ 41
100	Charlotte	3,814	▼ 11

Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1953. Counts are Social Security card applications for US births; SSA leaves out names given to fewer than 5 babies in a year. Updated 2026-10-05. How these numbers are made.