Popular Names of 1951

The 20 most popular names given to female and to male babies born in 1951, as recorded, with each name’s rank in 2025. Gary peaked among human males this year, at 10th.

Table 1. Female names, 1951
Rank	Name	Number	Rank in 2025
1	Linda	73,982	902
2	Mary	65,721	125
3	Patricia	56,446	1,336
4	Deborah	42,053	864
5	Barbara	40,617	968
6	Susan	40,228	1,091
7	Nancy	30,346	967
8	Karen	27,998	1,281
9	Sandra	27,665	1,210
10	Kathleen	26,716	1,156
11	Carol	24,781	2,242
12	Donna	24,074	1,965
13	Sharon	23,920	1,256
14	Brenda	21,717	1,527
15	Diane	19,840	2,620
16	Pamela	18,570	2,251
17	Margaret	17,692	112
18	Debra	17,064	4,478
19	Janet	16,947	2,791
20	Cynthia	16,295	1,014

Table 2. Male names, 1951
Rank	Name	Number	Rank in 2025
1	James	87,256	6
2	Robert	86,353	92
3	John	81,569	23
4	Michael	72,807	21
5	David	64,788	35
6	William	62,781	9
7	Richard	54,541	234
8	Thomas	48,275	34
9	Charles	39,406	48
10	Gary	38,160	1,073
11	Larry	30,558	1,085
12	Ronald	29,049	638
13	Steven	28,363	271
14	Joseph	28,147	29
15	Donald	27,916	690
16	Kenneth	25,841	294
17	Dennis	24,264	707
18	Paul	22,853	262
19	Stephen	22,474	383
20	Mark	21,201	245

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As recorded on the Social Security card application. Names given to fewer than five babies of a sex in a year are not published, so the file is a floor.