Most popular baby names of 1955

In 1955, the most popular names for US babies were Michael for boys (88,352 babies, 4.3% of boys) and Mary for girls (63,173 babies, 3.2% of girls). The rest of the top five were David, James, Robert and John for boys and Deborah, Linda, Debra and Susan for girls. SSA recorded 4,402 different boy names and 6,732 different girl names that year.

Top 100 boy names, 1955
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Michael	88,352	–
2	David	86,301	▲ 3
3	James	84,184	–
4	Robert	83,755	▼ 2
5	John	80,122	▼ 1
6	William	59,985	–
7	Richard	53,564	–
8	Thomas	45,855	–
9	Mark	42,244	▲ 3
10	Steven	37,841	▲ 1
11	Charles	35,361	▼ 1
12	Gary	34,433	▼ 3
13	Joseph	31,587	–
14	Donald	27,727	–
15	Kenneth	26,744	▲ 2
16	Paul	26,698	–
17	Daniel	26,458	▲ 1
18	Ronald	26,173	▼ 3
19	Larry	22,820	–
20	Jeffrey	22,531	▲ 3
21	Stephen	22,155	▼ 1
22	Timothy	20,738	▲ 4
23	Dennis	20,434	▼ 2
24	Gregory	19,815	▲ 1
25	Edward	19,280	▼ 3
26	George	18,166	▼ 2
27	Kevin	17,156	▲ 1
28	Terry	15,586	▼ 1
29	Douglas	15,309	–
30	Randy	14,957	▲ 3
31	Anthony	14,172	▲ 1
32	Bruce	14,083	▼ 2
33	Jerry	12,975	▼ 2
34	Frank	11,109	▲ 2
35	Peter	11,003	▲ 2
36	Raymond	10,994	▼ 1
37	Roger	10,982	▼ 3
38	Scott	10,782	▲ 2
39	Keith	10,415	▲ 6
40	Brian	10,106	▲ 8
41	Patrick	9,871	▼ 3
42	Lawrence	9,128	▼ 3
43	Alan	9,033	–
44	Wayne	8,727	▼ 3
45	Danny	8,718	▼ 3
46	Ricky	8,327	–
47	Carl	8,293	–
48	Gerald	8,073	▼ 4
49	Christopher	7,920	▲ 15
50	Craig	7,447	▲ 1
51	Walter	7,299	▼ 2
52	Dale	7,182	▼ 2
53	Randall	6,688	▲ 2
54	Willie	6,628	▼ 1
55	Johnny	6,619	▼ 1
56	Arthur	6,571	▼ 4
57	Russell	6,538	▲ 12
58	Roy	6,329	▼ 2
59	Glenn	6,258	▲ 4
60	Jack	6,200	▼ 3
61	Henry	6,188	▼ 2
62	Philip	6,162	–
63	Harold	6,095	▼ 3
64	Stanley	6,050	▼ 6
65	Rodney	6,048	▲ 1
66	Andrew	6,013	▲ 4
67	Ralph	5,965	▼ 6
68	Joe	5,853	▼ 1
69	Billy	5,769	▼ 4
70	Barry	5,600	▼ 2
71	Samuel	5,534	–
72	Steve	5,510	▲ 4
73	Jeffery	5,464	▲ 17
74	Phillip	5,410	▲ 1
75	Bobby	5,223	▼ 3
76	Albert	5,180	▼ 3
77	Martin	5,067	▲ 2
78	Jimmy	5,037	▼ 4
79	Curtis	4,979	▲ 5
80	Ronnie	4,969	▼ 2
81	Eugene	4,792	▼ 4
82	Louis	4,777	▼ 1
83	Howard	4,747	▼ 3
84	Allen	4,742	▼ 2
85	Eric	4,659	▲ 4
86	Frederick	4,551	▼ 3
87	Micheal	4,531	▲ 1
88	Leonard	4,260	▼ 3
89	Harry	4,139	▼ 3
90	Ernest	3,973	▼ 3
91	Darrell	3,902	▲ 4
92	Eddie	3,782	▼ 1
93	Tony	3,752	▲ 12
94	Marvin	3,660	▲ 3
95	Melvin	3,646	▼ 3
96	Lee	3,606	–
97	Fred	3,501	▼ 4
98	Kim	3,490	▲ 11
99	Vincent	3,482	▲ 5
100	Francis	3,439	▼ 6

Top 100 girl names, 1955
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Mary	63,173	–
2	Deborah	52,317	▲ 1
3	Linda	51,300	▼ 1
4	Debra	50,560	▲ 2
5	Susan	47,419	–
6	Patricia	46,226	▼ 2
7	Barbara	33,616	–
8	Karen	33,219	–
9	Nancy	30,024	–
10	Donna	27,941	▲ 1
11	Cynthia	27,178	▼ 1
12	Pamela	26,689	–
13	Sandra	25,111	–
14	Diane	23,291	▲ 3
15	Carol	22,047	–
16	Sharon	22,044	–
17	Kathleen	22,016	▼ 3
18	Brenda	19,115	–
19	Cheryl	19,110	▲ 3
20	Janet	17,920	▼ 1
21	Elizabeth	16,697	▼ 1
22	Kathy	15,324	▲ 1
23	Denise	14,560	▲ 1
24	Margaret	14,440	▼ 3
25	Janice	13,178	–
26	Teresa	13,124	▲ 8
27	Rebecca	12,397	▼ 1
28	Catherine	11,636	▲ 4
29	Joyce	11,285	▼ 1
30	Carolyn	11,178	▼ 3
31	Judith	10,434	▼ 1
32	Judy	10,376	▼ 3
33	Robin	10,217	▲ 8
34	Beverly	10,001	▼ 3
35	Connie	9,975	▲ 4
36	Betty	9,925	–
37	Shirley	9,756	▼ 4
38	Theresa	9,619	▲ 9
39	Paula	9,585	▼ 1
40	Christine	9,042	▲ 3
41	Laura	9,010	▲ 4
42	Gail	8,972	▼ 5
43	Ann	8,916	▲ 1
44	Cathy	8,665	▲ 15
45	Bonnie	8,637	▲ 7
46	Joan	8,557	▼ 6
47	Gloria	8,552	▼ 5
48	Lisa	8,539	▲ 25
49	Marilyn	8,409	▼ 14
50	Jane	8,344	▼ 1
51	Peggy	7,984	▼ 3
52	Vicki	7,975	▼ 2
53	Martha	7,930	▼ 7
54	Rose	7,852	–
55	Diana	7,846	▲ 2
56	Sherry	7,769	▲ 6
57	Sheila	7,661	▲ 3
58	Jo	7,656	▼ 5
59	Kathryn	7,641	▼ 8
60	Jean	7,480	▼ 4
61	Wanda	7,415	▼ 3
62	Lynn	7,354	▲ 1
63	Debbie	7,254	▲ 29
64	Dorothy	7,242	▼ 9
65	Katherine	7,240	▼ 1
66	Virginia	6,855	▼ 5
67	Julie	6,788	▲ 3
68	Vickie	6,638	▲ 1
69	Maria	6,209	▼ 4
70	Ruth	6,187	▼ 4
71	Rhonda	6,171	–
72	Rita	6,094	▼ 5
73	Jacqueline	6,040	▼ 5
74	Phyllis	5,690	▲ 1
75	Kim	5,687	▲ 59
76	Darlene	5,641	–
77	Elaine	5,635	▼ 3
78	Helen	5,592	▼ 6
79	Cindy	5,589	▲ 12
80	Valerie	5,512	▲ 7
81	Ellen	5,470	▼ 4
82	Victoria	5,359	▲ 3
83	Terry	5,353	▲ 5
84	Anne	5,218	▼ 4
85	Terri	5,153	▲ 15
86	Suzanne	5,137	▼ 4
87	Alice	5,079	▼ 6
88	Joanne	4,988	▼ 10
89	Lori	4,976	▲ 32
90	Wendy	4,955	▲ 5
91	Laurie	4,954	▲ 7
92	Marie	4,925	▼ 13
93	Michele	4,768	▼ 4
94	Anita	4,717	▲ 2
95	Sally	4,688	▼ 11
96	Frances	4,641	▼ 13
97	Michelle	4,526	▼ 3
98	Marcia	4,412	▼ 8
99	Leslie	4,405	–
100	Maureen	4,339	▼ 3

Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1955. 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.