The 1956 Baby Name Report

4,123,037 babies, 10,221 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of 1956

👑 #1 girls: Mary (4 years running) 👑 #1 boys: Michael (3 years running) 413 debuts

Top girls

  1. Mary61,743
  2. Debra48,324
  3. Linda48,085
  4. Deborah47,837
  5. Susan46,562
  6. Patricia43,330
  7. Karen40,052
  8. Cynthia32,339
  9. Barbara32,302
  10. Donna29,852

Top boys

  1. Michael90,691
  2. James84,903
  3. Robert83,912
  4. David81,650
  5. John80,806
  6. William58,990
  7. Richard52,912
  8. Mark48,829
  9. Thomas44,841
  10. Steven38,410

Full top-50 rankings for 1956 →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Leesa #1,215 → #525 (+690)
  2. Elvis #924 → #362 (+562)
  3. Marisa #1,080 → #531 (+549)
  4. Dawna #1,055 → #627 (+428)
  5. Cindi #907 → #619 (+288)
  6. Clint #681 → #471 (+210)
  7. Kendra #832 → #623 (+209)
  8. Wyatt #659 → #469 (+190)
  9. Erin #715 → #534 (+181)
  10. Dina #844 → #669 (+175)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Jacalyn #497 → #840 (−343)
  2. Roni #536 → #865 (−329)
  3. Marilee #635 → #794 (−159)
  4. Marietta #594 → #748 (−154)
  5. Bernadine #636 → #772 (−136)
  6. Shauna #540 → #663 (−123)
  7. Earline #657 → #773 (−116)
  8. Bettye #572 → #682 (−110)
  9. Willa #601 → #704 (−103)
  10. Eula #637 → #740 (−103)

✨ Never recorded before 1956

Siobhan (58) Dondi (19) Trace (17) Chrysa (13) Kimerly (13) Tirrell (13) Kenetha (12) Dart (12) Jubal (12) Calamity (11)

413 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in 1956.

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What were the most popular baby names in 1956?
Mary was the #1 girl name and Michael the #1 boy name in 1956, out of 4,123,037 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in 1956?
Leesa made the biggest jump in 1956, climbing 690 spots to #525.
How many new baby names appeared in 1956?
413 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in 1956.