Born in 1958 · Baby Boomers
Baby names of 1958
The Social Security name files, which cover every name given to at least 5 babies, list 4,134,028 babies born in 1958: 2,011,619 girls and 2,122,409 boys. Mary and Michael were the most popular names, and 24.5% of all babies got a top-10 name, down from 29.8% in 1948. The name most tied to 1958 is Debbie: among girls, it was 12× as common that year as in the decades around it.
Quick facts
- Generation
- Baby Boomers
- Born 1946–1964
- Babies on record
- 4,134,028
- 2,011,619 girls · 2,122,409 boys
- Different names
- 7,030
- for girls, plus 4,502 for boys (5+ babies each)
- Top-10 names
- 24.5%
- of babies got one · girls 18.6%, boys 30.0%
Top 10 names of 1958
- 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 1958, 24.5% 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 1958
These names were far more common in 1958 than in the decades around it: the multiplier compares each name's share of 1958 babies with its average share 6–25 years before and after.
| Name | Sex | Rank | Vs. nearby |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debbie | Girl | #24 | 12× |
| Pam | Girl | #139 | 9.4× |
| Debora | Girl | #167 | 8.7× |
| Debra | Girl | #6 | 7.4× |
| Luann | Girl | #297 | 6.6× |
| Cindy | Girl | #25 | 6.1× |
| Kathy | Girl | #14 | 5.9× |
| Ricky | Boy | #34 | 5.8× |
| Rick | Boy | #77 | 5.8× |
| Rickey | Boy | #106 | 5.7× |
Names that peaked in 1958
Each of these reached its highest share of US babies in 1958, the high point in records going back to 1880. Rank is for 1958.
| Name | Sex | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Cheryl | Girl | #13 |
| Kathy | Girl | #14 |
| Ricky | Boy | #34 |
| Cathy | Girl | #34 |
| Dale | Boy | #46 |
| Darlene | Girl | #49 |
| Anita | Girl | #82 |
| Rick | Boy | #77 |
| Darrell | Boy | #90 |
| Rickey | Boy | #106 |
New to the top 1,000 in 1958
Names that made the national top 1,000 for the first time in 1958 (records go back to 1880).
Where are they now?
Top-100 names of 1958 that have since dropped out of the top 1,000. Ranks are for 1958 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