Back in the 1950s, Elvis Presley was at the top of the charts, all his movie fans were racing out to see epics like Ben-Hur and The Ten Commandments and couples who were entering the Baby Boom years were using these baby names in droves.
In addition, since trends are always cyclical, you might see some pompadoured hip-shakers back on the Billboard charts (I see you, Bruno Mars), epic films hitting cinemas (though now they’re of the comic-book variety) and those same childs whose names coming back around again to the trends.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) keeps track of the most popular baby boy names and the most popular baby girl names, and they’ve been doing so going back to the 1800s. It is and interesting task that will clarifie this naming issue. That exemplifies that we are able to see what names were most popular in the 1950s, and how that compares to these days. For families looking for classic names for their bundles of joy, these have stood the test of time for more than half a century.
Get to know all the full name list of the most popular names back in the 1950s
James:
SSA ranking in the 1950s: 1 – SSA ranking today: 4
James, whose meaning is “supplanter”, is a name that’s so consistently well-liked, it doesn’t even sound all that old-fashioned. In the ’50s, it was also a name related to youth culture — as embodied by Rebel Without a Cause heartthrob James Dean.
Mary:
SSA ranking in the 1950s: 1 – SSA ranking today: 135
Linda. whose meaning is “drop of the sea, “bitterness,” or “beloved”, had a moment in the early 1950s — it was the No. 1 name each year from 1947 to 1952 — but Mary at some point won the decade. Some might say it even won the century, actually: Mary is the girl’s name that has appeared in the No. 1 spot the most number of times since the SSA’s been keeping track. And with such importan role models — like Mary Blair, the artist who worked with Disney on 1950s blockbuster films like Lady and the Tramp, Alice in Wonderland and Cinderella — it’s clear why families want to keep standing the famous Marys of the past.
Michael:
SSA ranking in the 1950s: 2 – SSA ranking today: 16
Western/cowboy baby names are having a moment these days, thanks to Yellowstone. However, it can that trend trace itself all the way back to 1959’s Bonanza, and its star, Michael Landon? It results that Michael, whose meaning is “gift from god”, doesn’t really need a trend to keep it in the limelight. The name Michael is the most popular boy name of all time, having hit the SSA’s top spot more than any other name — 44 times and counting. In fact, with the exception of one year, Michael was the top name from 1954 straight through to 1999, when Jacob took over. (Thank you, Twilight.)
Linda:
SSA ranking in the 1950s: 2 – SSA ranking today: 842
The name Linda, whose meaning is “pretty”, — as in actress Linda Cristal, who also starred in Westerns throughout the ’50s — had a good run, enjoying the top spot from 1947 to 1952, until Mary came back to claim again the crown. Nowadays, the SSA reports that the name is actually going down in popularity, but that just means it might be ripe for a return.
Robert:
SSA ranking in the 1950s: 3 – SSA ranking today: 89
The name Robert means “bright fame,” and in the 1950s it was a self-fulfilling prophecy, at least by the time it came to actors like Robert Mitchum, Robert Taylor or Robert Conrad. Today, Robert still sits safely in the top 100 baby boy names, even though the SSA notes it decreased a little bit in popularity (as did Roberto). But that just means it’s in that not-too-trendy, not-too-obscure zone.
Patricia:
SSA ranking in the 1950s: 3 – SSA ranking today: unranked
In an episode of The Twilight Zone, actress Patricia Barry plays a woman who is tricked into falling for a man who used a love potion on her — only for him to find her affections stifling. Such is not the case with America’s love affair with the name Patricia, whose meaning is the “noble”. Back in the 1950s it was flying high, and by now it doesn’t rank on the SSA’s list of the top 1000 girl names at all. That shows this is a great choice for parents looking for a name with a vintage, mid-century feel but who still want to be speacial among other girls names.
John:
SSA ranking in the 1950s: 4 – SSA ranking today: 26
The name John, whose meaing is “God is gracious”, may have had its peak long before the ’50s. It was the No. 1 boy’s name a few decades earlier than that, and kept the top spot between 1900 and 1923. Still, the name has hung in there, landing at some place in the top-five names every year from 1924 to 1972, and it keeps to rank in the top 30 baby names nowadays.
Susan:
SSA ranking in the 1950s: 4 – SSA ranking today: unranked
Right now Susan, whose meaning is “gift from God”, has gone down the SSA list of most popular baby names in entirely. However, in the 1950s, Susan was ascendant, hitting its peak in 1960. Maybe those ’50s families were inspired by actress Susan Hayward, who received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress three times throughout the decade (and finally brought home the statue in 1958).
David:
SSA ranking in the 1950s: 5 – SSA ranking today: 27
David, as in businessman David Rockefeller, and whose mening is “beloved”, has a disruptor energy to it. It was the name David that took the No. 1 spot from Michael for one year only — 1960 — keeping Michael from having an interrupted 44-year streak as the most popular boy name in America. And by the time David has lost favor in the decades since, and now is more often in the top 30 than the top five, it’s still a good choice for families who want to be original.
Debora/Debra:
SSA ranking in the 1950s: 5/7 – SSA ranking today: 971/unranked
This is a two-for-one, because variants on Deborah, whose meaning is “bee”, actually hit the list twice in the 1950s: Deborah (as in The King and I and An Affair to Remember star Deborah Kerr) was the fifth most popular name, and Debra (as in The Ten Commandments’ Debra Paget) was the seventh. Now, Deborah still has the edge over Debra — but only just a bit close, since Deborah has fallen to the bottom of the list and, according to the SSA, is still sinking, and Debra has fallen off of it completely.
William:
SSA ranking in the 1950s: 6 – SSA ranking today: 10
William, whose meaning is “resolute protector”, was a good option for those literary parents of the 1950s, who saw bylines like William S. Burroughs, William Goldman and William F. Buckley Jr. on books and in many magazines. And the name feels at once timeless and modern, since it’s still in the top 10 of baby names today. It’s also good for parents who love varieties, since families can make the name their own by going by nicknames such as Will, Willy, Bill or Billy.
Barbara:
SSA ranking in the 1950s: 6 – SSA ranking today: 87
There’s already proof that Barbara, whose meaning is “foreigner”, as in All About Eve actress Barbara Bates, is making a comeback. The SSA notes that it’s one of the fastest-growing baby names of last year, jumping 87 places in rank from the year before.
