Born in 1956 · Baby Boomers
Baby names of 1956
The Social Security name files, which cover every name given to at least 5 babies, list 4,123,005 babies born in 1956: 2,007,703 girls and 2,115,302 boys. Mary and Michael were the most popular names, and 26.6% of all babies got a top-10 name, down from 29.8% in 1946. The name most tied to 1956 is Debra: among girls, it was 11× as common that year as in the decades around it.
Quick facts
- Generation
- Baby Boomers
- Born 1946–1964
- Babies on record
- 4,123,005
- 2,007,703 girls · 2,115,302 boys
- Different names
- 6,891
- for girls, plus 4,455 for boys (5+ babies each)
- Top-10 names
- 26.6%
- of babies got one · girls 21.4%, boys 31.5%
Top 10 names of 1956
- Mary was the #1 name for girls every year from 1953 to 1961.
- Michael was the #1 name for boys every year from 1954 to 1959.
How many babies got a top-10 name?
In 1956, 26.6% 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 1956
These names were far more common in 1956 than in the decades around it: the multiplier compares each name's share of 1956 babies with its average share 6–25 years before and after.
| Name | Sex | Rank | Vs. nearby |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debra | Girl | #2 | 11× |
| Kim | Boy | #118 | 9.0× |
| Sheree | Girl | #220 | 8.8× |
| Debora | Girl | #161 | 8.5× |
| Luann | Girl | #239 | 7.8× |
| Deborah | Girl | #4 | 6.2× |
| Vickie | Girl | #68 | 5.2× |
| Rickey | Boy | #112 | 5.2× |
| Rickie | Boy | #246 | 5.1× |
| Debbie | Girl | #39 | 5.0× |
Names that peaked in 1956
Each of these reached its highest share of US babies in 1956, the high point in records going back to 1880. Rank is for 1956.
| Name | Sex | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Karen | Girl | #7 |
| Randy | Boy | #28 |
| Lynn | Girl | #58 |
| Vickie | Girl | #68 |
| Jan | Girl | #136 |
| Doreen | Girl | #147 |
| Debora | Girl | #161 |
| Robin | Boy | #143 |
| Lee | Girl | #184 |
| Gerard | Boy | #180 |
New to the top 1,000 in 1956
Names that made the national top 1,000 for the first time in 1956 (records go back to 1880).
Girls
- Leesa318 babies
- Marisa307 babies
- Dawna234 babies
- Kelley159 babies
- Tracie157 babies
- Dani137 babies
- Sheena137 babies
- Dara132 babies
Boys
- Broderick121 babies
- Derwin85 babies
- Chet80 babies
- Quintin78 babies
- Timmie76 babies
- Tab69 babies
- Tracey68 babies
- Jace66 babies
Where are they now?
Top-100 names of 1956 that have since dropped out of the top 1,000. Ranks are for 1956 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