Most popular baby names of 1954

In 1954, the most popular names for US babies were Michael for boys (88,564 babies, 4.3% of boys) and Mary for girls (68,019 babies, 3.5% of girls). The rest of the top five were Robert, James, John and David for boys and Linda, Deborah, Patricia and Susan for girls. SSA recorded 4,360 different boy names and 6,625 different girl names that year.

Top 100 boy names, 1954
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Michael	88,564	▲ 2
2	Robert	86,333	▼ 1
3	James	86,312	▼ 1
4	John	81,176	–
5	David	79,560	–
6	William	61,431	–
7	Richard	57,043	–
8	Thomas	47,157	–
9	Gary	37,921	▲ 1
10	Charles	37,467	▼ 1
11	Steven	36,630	–
12	Mark	36,198	–
13	Joseph	31,224	–
14	Donald	29,279	–
15	Ronald	27,624	–
16	Paul	26,221	–
17	Kenneth	26,185	–
18	Daniel	25,275	▲ 2
19	Larry	24,612	▼ 1
20	Stephen	21,879	▲ 1
21	Dennis	20,757	▼ 2
22	Edward	19,493	▲ 1
23	Jeffrey	19,051	▲ 2
24	George	18,703	▼ 2
25	Gregory	17,624	▼ 1
26	Timothy	17,427	–
27	Terry	15,554	▲ 3
28	Kevin	15,322	▲ 8
29	Douglas	14,704	▼ 2
30	Bruce	14,155	▼ 2
31	Jerry	13,682	▼ 2
32	Anthony	13,123	–
33	Randy	12,638	▲ 2
34	Roger	11,716	▼ 3
35	Raymond	11,243	▼ 1
36	Frank	10,995	▼ 3
37	Peter	10,086	▲ 1
38	Patrick	9,928	▲ 1
39	Lawrence	9,605	▼ 2
40	Scott	9,457	▲ 6
41	Wayne	9,175	▼ 1
42	Danny	9,105	▼ 1
43	Alan	8,712	–
44	Gerald	8,550	▼ 2
45	Keith	8,358	▲ 2
46	Ricky	8,163	▲ 5
47	Carl	8,136	▼ 3
48	Brian	8,079	▲ 5
49	Walter	7,486	▼ 4
50	Dale	7,439	▼ 2
51	Craig	7,180	▲ 9
52	Arthur	6,858	▼ 2
53	Willie	6,831	▼ 4
54	Johnny	6,612	▼ 2
55	Randall	6,549	▲ 9
56	Roy	6,513	▼ 1
57	Jack	6,474	–
58	Stanley	6,448	▲ 4
59	Henry	6,402	▼ 5
60	Harold	6,358	▼ 4
61	Ralph	6,311	▼ 2
62	Philip	6,279	▼ 1
63	Glenn	6,240	▲ 4
64	Christopher	6,084	▼ 1
65	Billy	6,033	–
66	Rodney	5,959	▼ 8
67	Joe	5,874	▼ 1
68	Barry	5,844	▲ 5
69	Russell	5,761	▲ 2
70	Andrew	5,653	▼ 2
71	Samuel	5,634	▼ 1
72	Bobby	5,508	▲ 2
73	Albert	5,429	▼ 4
74	Jimmy	5,326	▼ 2
75	Phillip	5,150	▲ 1
76	Steve	5,062	▲ 8
77	Eugene	5,033	▼ 2
78	Ronnie	4,977	▲ 1
79	Martin	4,968	▲ 3
80	Howard	4,933	▼ 2
81	Louis	4,848	▼ 4
82	Allen	4,831	▼ 1
83	Frederick	4,743	▼ 3
84	Curtis	4,596	▲ 2
85	Leonard	4,482	–
86	Harry	4,354	▼ 3
87	Ernest	4,202	–
88	Micheal	4,178	–
89	Eric	4,169	–
90	Jeffery	3,936	▲ 19
91	Eddie	3,766	▲ 6
92	Melvin	3,709	▼ 1
93	Fred	3,695	▼ 1
94	Francis	3,686	▼ 4
95	Darrell	3,644	▲ 8
96	Lee	3,566	▼ 3
97	Marvin	3,498	▼ 3
98	Earl	3,425	▼ 2
99	Norman	3,417	▼ 1
100	Tommy	3,407	▼ 5

Top 100 girl names, 1954
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Mary	68,019	–
2	Linda	55,371	–
3	Deborah	54,675	–
4	Patricia	49,149	–
5	Susan	47,162	–
6	Debra	45,897	▲ 1
7	Barbara	36,369	▼ 1
8	Karen	32,456	▲ 1
9	Nancy	30,269	▼ 1
10	Cynthia	27,615	▲ 2
11	Donna	27,428	▲ 2
12	Pamela	27,362	▼ 2
13	Sandra	26,062	▼ 2
14	Kathleen	22,455	–
15	Carol	22,247	▲ 1
16	Sharon	22,219	▼ 1
17	Diane	22,052	–
18	Brenda	19,610	–
19	Janet	18,477	–
20	Elizabeth	16,586	▲ 1
21	Margaret	15,226	▼ 1
22	Cheryl	15,015	▲ 6
23	Kathy	14,175	–
24	Denise	13,717	▲ 7
25	Janice	13,505	▼ 3
26	Rebecca	13,208	▼ 2
27	Carolyn	12,153	▼ 2
28	Joyce	12,088	▼ 2
29	Judy	11,632	▼ 2
30	Judith	11,195	–
31	Beverly	11,155	▲ 3
32	Catherine	11,080	▲ 3
33	Shirley	10,908	▼ 4
34	Teresa	10,842	▲ 8
35	Marilyn	10,814	▲ 1
36	Betty	10,620	▼ 3
37	Gail	9,725	▲ 2
38	Paula	9,686	▲ 2
39	Connie	9,636	▲ 8
40	Joan	9,521	▼ 3
41	Robin	9,044	▲ 25
42	Gloria	8,923	▼ 4
43	Christine	8,788	▼ 11
44	Ann	8,750	▲ 2
45	Laura	8,719	▲ 6
46	Martha	8,596	▼ 5
47	Theresa	8,509	▲ 3
48	Peggy	8,455	▼ 4
49	Jane	8,344	▼ 6
50	Vicki	8,221	▲ 11
51	Kathryn	8,137	▼ 3
52	Bonnie	8,099	▼ 7
53	Jo	8,052	▲ 1
54	Rose	7,996	▲ 5
55	Dorothy	7,790	▼ 6
56	Jean	7,665	▼ 4
57	Diana	7,624	▼ 2
58	Wanda	7,446	▼ 1
59	Cathy	7,207	▼ 3
60	Sheila	7,202	–
61	Virginia	7,176	▼ 8
62	Sherry	7,120	▲ 8
63	Lynn	6,780	▲ 4
64	Katherine	6,740	▼ 1
65	Maria	6,589	▲ 3
66	Ruth	6,566	▼ 4
67	Rita	6,536	▼ 3
68	Jacqueline	6,519	▼ 10
69	Vickie	6,367	▲ 10
70	Julie	6,276	▲ 4
71	Rhonda	6,101	▲ 14
72	Helen	5,947	▼ 7
73	Lisa	5,913	▲ 38
74	Elaine	5,825	▲ 3
75	Phyllis	5,763	▼ 6
76	Darlene	5,510	▼ 1
77	Ellen	5,456	▼ 1
78	Joanne	5,435	▼ 7
79	Marie	5,310	▲ 7
80	Anne	5,298	–
81	Alice	5,271	▼ 8
82	Suzanne	5,236	▼ 4
83	Frances	5,153	▼ 11
84	Sally	5,078	▼ 3
85	Victoria	4,978	▼ 3
86	Marsha	4,965	▼ 3
87	Valerie	4,917	▲ 1
88	Terry	4,787	▲ 29
89	Michele	4,763	▲ 13
90	Marcia	4,744	▼ 6
91	Cindy	4,714	▲ 8
92	Debbie	4,664	▲ 27
93	Doris	4,457	▼ 6
94	Michelle	4,432	▲ 13
95	Wendy	4,415	▲ 15
96	Anita	4,408	▼ 7
97	Maureen	4,369	▼ 5
98	Laurie	4,290	▲ 5
99	Leslie	4,147	▼ 3
100	Terri	4,130	▲ 30

Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1954. 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.