Born in 1952 · Baby Boomers
Baby names of 1952
The Social Security name files, which cover every name given to at least 5 babies, list 3,797,968 babies born in 1952: 1,854,335 girls and 1,943,633 boys. Linda and James were the most popular names, and 28.6% of all babies got a top-10 name, down from 29.0% in 1942. The name most tied to 1952 is Kim: among boys, it was 7.2× as common that year as in the decades around it.
Quick facts
- Generation
- Baby Boomers
- Born 1946–1964
- Babies on record
- 3,797,968
- 1,854,335 girls · 1,943,633 boys
- Different names
- 6,389
- for girls, plus 4,257 for boys (5+ babies each)
- Top-10 names
- 28.6%
- of babies got one · girls 23.2%, boys 33.7%
Top 10 names of 1952
- Linda was the #1 name for girls every year from 1947 to 1952.
- James was the #1 name for boys every year from 1940 to 1952.
How many babies got a top-10 name?
In 1952, 28.6% of babies were given one of that year's 10 most popular names. Across all years, that share fell from 29.0% in 1935 to 7.5% in 2025.
Names that sound like 1952
These names were far more common in 1952 than in the decades around it: the multiplier compares each name's share of 1952 babies with its average share 6–25 years before and after.
| Name | Sex | Rank | Vs. nearby |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kim | Boy | #126 | 7.2× |
| Deborah | Girl | #4 | 6.5× |
| Kathie | Girl | #286 | 4.5× |
| Rickie | Boy | #252 | 4.4× |
| Debra | Girl | #9 | 4.2× |
| Marsha | Girl | #75 | 4.1× |
| Vickie | Girl | #76 | 3.8× |
| Dale | Girl | #236 | 3.7× |
| Linda | Girl | #1 | 3.7× |
| Vicki | Girl | #61 | 3.3× |
Names that peaked in 1952
Each of these reached its highest share of US babies in 1952, the high point in records going back to 1880. Rank is for 1952.
| Name | Sex | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Claudia | Girl | #111 |
| Randolph | Boy | #154 |
| Neal | Boy | #198 |
| Dale | Girl | #236 |
| Charmaine | Girl | #331 |
| Denis | Boy | #277 |
| Rosalyn | Girl | #413 |
| Cathryn | Girl | #456 |
| Randy | Girl | #563 |
| Nanci | Girl | #585 |
New to the top 1,000 in 1952
Names that made the national top 1,000 for the first time in 1952 (records go back to 1880).
Where are they now?
Top-100 names of 1952 that have since dropped out of the top 1,000. Ranks are for 1952 and 2025.
Girls
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data